Fast Times at Poke High
by Ready To Flyxxx
Summary: "But we couldn't see past our own insecurities, flaws, and problems to see what was right in front of our eyes. We had ruined each other's lives." Surviving high school means obtaining their pokemon licenses, which means they can finally go on their journeys. But that's the easy part. It's surviving each other that scares them. Poke, contest, oldrival, and ikarishipping
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue: We never saw it coming. In fact, it had never crossed our minds that something like that, could ever even happen to people like us. But we were just kids; dense, clueless, ignorant, kids who know nothing but our own backyards; trying, attempting, giving everything to get through life with barely a scratch on us. Truth be told, that was our first mistake, we thought it would be easy. But we couldn't see past out own insecurities, flaws, and problems to see what was right in front of our eyes. We had ruined each other's lives._

* * *

><p>Principal's office, or interrogation room? A question Misty Waterflower usually asks herself when she's called down there. Today Principal Brown's bald head is extra shiny, probably from the beads of sweat that always seem to accumulate around him. She wonders if she can see her reflection in it.<p>

"Miss. Waterflower," he stridently yelled cutting her out of her trance, "have you even heard a word I've said!?" Her green orbs lazily shift to his, before she places her feet upon his desk in a nonchalant fashion.

"Listen Mr.B, I hear you, really I do. And I understand your dilemma. You are a man of authority, I get it. But don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" She asks him, shifting her gaze to the golden plaque on his desk. It reads: princiPAL. How cliché.

"A bit harsh!? Miss. Waterflower, I think you seem to have forgotten that you and that rift raft friend of yours completely ruined the beginning of school ceremony! The auditorium still smells like...like..." He trailed off, letting the silence speak for itself.

"Shit?"

"Language! And feet off the desk!" Rolling her eyes, she did as told. Aww yes, Ash's newest prank, one of his best.

* * *

><p>(Flash back)<p>

"And so it is with great pleasure that I welcome you, with open arms, back into our school." Mr. Brown said warmly as he stood upon the school's stage. The bright lights had shown brightly upon his bald head. "Now, here to give a short speech, are our two school reps, Gary Oak, and Melody Fleura." The auditorium let out giant uproar of cheers.

Behind the stage had stood Misty Waterflower and Ash Ketchum. Ash was holding on to a rope that secured the giant network of water balloons towering over the stage.

"You ready, Mist?" He asked her, his eyes shining with michief. Lets just say that Ash wasn't the perfect student here at PokeHigh. In fact, he had a record of putting on the most elaborate pranks throughout the school. Some kids loved him for it, others hated him. He didn't care, he just loved the rush. His body had been shaking with excitement, his heart palpitating. With his Baseball cap placed on his head, turned backwards of course, he looked as determined as always. "I can't wait to dump this all over Gary and his arrogant face!" Misty smirked. Why was she in this? Well, other than the fact that she had owed Ash a favor, Misty just loved messing with the school. She just hated it. The rules, the restrictions, and the restraints. There were a million things, really. They just tried to take away everyone's individuality! What can she say? She's a modern transcendentalist. That and she hated Melody's preppy guts.

"Do it." She said. There was a wicked gleam in her eyes. Ash had let go of the rope, sending the balloons down in one swift motion, but they were no ordinary balloons. Ash had spent all night filling them to the brim with a nice fresh batch of a big surprise. Gary would have to shower for weeks!

Gary leaned against the podium with a prize winning smile adorned on his face. "And so I would like conclude this speech with a," he sniffed "what's that smell?" And then it hit him. Literally.

Taurous shit. Gary had been hit, with taurous shit.

* * *

><p>She smiled at her work. Melody didn't come back to school for three days after that.<p>

"Now I know you are a very bright student, Miss. Waterflower. Your grade point average is among the highest that we have here. Not to mention you are the captain of the swim team, are you not? I just wish you could learn to get along with some of the students here. Tell me, why did you come to this school?" She was quiet for a moment, her face melting into a scowl.

"I came here because I need my pokemon license."

"You do realize that these kind of marks will show up on your permanent record. And when the league decides who gets to go on a journey, they won't be choosing anybody with a violent streak."

"I am aware, yes."

"Then why don't you take this seriously!? I want improvement. One more slip up like this and you will regret it. As for your punishment, you must attend detention for a solid month. I will be phoning your legal guardian as well. And, you will have to attend a months' worth of community service too."

"A month!? But Principle Brown! That hardly seems fair!"

"Don't worry. Mr. Ketchum will be joining you as well, if it makes you feel better. Now if you please." He gestured towards the door. Misty groaned. Shouldering her backpack, she excited his office, making sure to flip him the bird on the way out. She needed to find May.

* * *

><p>Leaf Greene smiled as she finished printing her newest entry into the school newspaper. There in all its glory was a picture of Gary Oak, showered with a generous amount of pokemon dung. She snickered to herself. The title read: The Poké Dung Scandal. She admired her work, before bringing the stack of papers to the copier. Oh how she loved her job. After coping the correct amount to papers, and handing them off to the head of the journalist club, she went off to her locker. She was greeted with an unusual amount of giggling girls. However she was more surprised to see the face of Gary Oak standing in front of her locker<p>

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Leaf is it? Have you come to pay your respects to me as well?" He pontificated. She rolled her eyes.

"In your dreams, Oak. Actually, you're in front of my locker. So, move." She ignored the glares from the other girls around her.

"Your locker? I think your mistaken Leafy. This just so happens to be my locker."

"Yeah, don't call me Leafy. And I think that either you're blind, or you can't see over that giant ego of yours, either way locker C34 is mine." A girl beside her scoffed.

"Didn't you get the memo? We all have to share lockers this year." She said, smacking her gum.

"Yeah," another one intervined, "like, cause of budget cuts or whatever." Gary smirked down at her. _Curse my shortness_, leaf thought.

"Looks like you and I are locker buddies." He winked. Oh how leaf hated this school.

* * *

><p>May Maple sat in her last period class, waiting for others to enter. Other classes had gone well enough. They listened to the announcements, talked about school expectations, and other tedious things. She was really waiting for Misty and Ash to get back, so she could hear what happened in the principal's office. She sighed, drumming her fingernails on her desk. Other students milled about the classroom, talking amongst themselves or texting on their phones. She considered getting hers out, so she wouldn't look like such a dork just sitting there, but thought better of it. She decided to observe her classmates instead.<p>

In front of her, was probably the loudest of the groups. They were the more...popular sort of kids. The girls with their perfect hair, and the guys with their perfect smiles, you know the ones. The most popular was Drew Hayden. Ok, May had no idea how this guy did it, but he was like a god. She watched him mid laugh, as his shoulders shook, and his distinct green colored hair swished to the side, and the way he smiled with his perfect white teeth. His eyes were probably the best part. They were a bright, alluring emerald color. They seemed to light up when he laughed. She was knocked out of her trance, however, when she felt his eyes upon hers_. Oh no_, she thought, _he caught me staring!_ Drew smirked. _Oh no, Arceus no_. She felt her ears turn pink.

"Hey May!" A voice beside her sounded, causing her to jump. She turned her gaze towards the raven haired boy beside her.

"Ash! You scared the peanut butter out of me!" She glared. He stared at her for a moment, cocking his head to the side.

"Why is your face so red?"

"Ugh! It's nothing. Where's Misty?" She heard someone plop into the seat on her left. "Right here!" May jumped again.

"Seriously! What is with you guys and scaring me?" Before they could converse more, the teacher came in.

* * *

><p>Dawn Berlitz ran through the halls in a mad attempt to make it to her class on time. Her high heels, which made it extremely difficult to run in mind you, clacked against the polished floors loudly. Suddenly, her heel caught a loose piece of paper that had been on the ground, causing her to trip and crash into a wall. Only, it wasn't a wall, as she soon found out. It was a person. Oops.<p>

"Watch where you're going!" A gruff voice rumbled. Looking up, she was met with a pair of stormy grey eyes.

"Sorry," she yelped, "I wasn't paying attention!"

"Tch, clearly." How rude, she thought.

"Well, anyways I'm Dawn!" She attempted to smile at him, but he simply walked passed her instead. "Hey! I was talking to you!"

"And I was ignoring you." She watched incredulously as his body turned the corner, out of her sight. She fumed, before remembering she was late again and sped off to get to her class.

* * *

><p>"My name is Mr. West. But please, call me Lance," their newest teacher smiled at them. May scrutinized his features. Lance was fairly young, with an easy going smile, and a handsome face. He wore a button up white shirt, and a pair of black slacks. "My class will be, as it should be, fairly difficult. However, I will not be grading you on your marks, but rather on your performance." From the corner of her eyes, May saw Misty perk up. "Now I know that today is the first day, but I would like to get ahead. In fact I have a project for all of you." Ash's hand shot up. From the corner of her eye, May saw Dawn Berlitz walk in the door. Lucky for her Lance had yet to take attendance.<p>

"What kind of project?" Lance smiled at him, before looking down at his clipboard of names.

"Ash, is it? In my class, we wait until I call upon you before belting out. Okay?"

"Err, sorry."

"Anyway, the project will be in groups," he raised his voice to stop the cheers, "that I will be assigning." May groaned, she hated when teachers picked partners. She didn't know anybody in this class besides Misty and Ash. What if she was paired with someone who didn't do any work? Or worse...Drew. She tuned back in.

"I call it: A Day in the Life of Others. Now I know that all of you teenagers seem to create groups and cliques, and packs that seclude everybody who's not in them, out. In fact I see it quite often. In the Canteen, the halls, and at break. You guys don't realize how often you do it. I want you guys to expand." Lance took a seat up on his desk. He held out his clipboard in front of him. Misty raised her hand. He nodded towards her.

"Expand? I'm sorry, you want us to expand? Let me get this straight. We are going to be in a group full of people we don't know, invade their personal lives, and then somehow end up as friends in the end? Is that your master plan?" She asked him with a glare. _Oh no Misty,_ May cringed. Lance seemed unaffected.

"Misty, perhaps I should explain better. You will not be put in groups with strangers. In fact, I may just put you in groups with your friends. Do you really know them as much as you think? The point is to practice empathy. Putting yourself in someone else's shoes. I want you guys to understand that there is something else beyond the walls you build up. Now since we have a rather big classroom. The groups will be fairly large." May snuck a look at Misty. She was glaring. May leaned over to her.

"Hey, Misty. What's up?" She asked, trying to console her.

"I'm starting to really hate this school." She replied, slumping down in her seat and blowing her orange colored bangs out of her face.

"The first group will be," Lance started, "May Maple, Dawn Berlitz, Ash Ketchum, Leaf Greene, Gary Oak, Paul Sinji, Misty Waterflower, and Drew Hayden." May's eyes grew wide_. Drew Hayden_, she panicked, _no, out of all the people why him!?_ She decided that the world hated her.

* * *

><p><em>"Attention all students. Because of further complications with the school auditorium, drama class will be held in room A2.5. Also, opportunities for community service will be posted at my door at the end of the day. Thank you, that is all."<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much, everyone who reviewed, followed, and favored my story. It means a lot. Well, here's another installment of...Fast Times at Poke High :)**

Ash adjusted the straps of his backpack before heading out to the large double doors leading outside. Finally, school was over for the day. They had just got done with Lance's class and luckily the bell had rung before he could go into more detail about the project. Instead, he gave them a packet explaining everything. Ash turned to the two girls beside him, and gave them both a crooked grin. May, however, did not look so amused. She blocked Misty's and his path.

"Whoa there, hang on. We have a few things to discuss before the two of you run off," she stated, narrowing her eyes at the two of them, "first of all, what happened at the principal's today?" Misty decided to speak up first. After tightening the band on her side ponytail, and throwing an arm around Ash, she opened her mouth to speak.

"The two of us have been so generously awarded with a whole months' worth of detention. He even threw in a free pass to attend community service! And it all starts tomorrow! How thrilling." She said with mock excitement.

"Wait, that's it? I was expecting him to blow his top!"

"Yeah well he was surprisingly calm," Ash said distractedly, more occupied with poking Misty in the side. She glared at him before smacking him on the head. "Oww! Hey."

Misty turned her attention back to May. "Don't get me wrong, he did lecture me about how this is my last year here, and how these things show up on your permanent record, and yada yada yada. But, other than that it was...nothing."

"Well, how did he even catch the two of you in the first place? I mean, no one else knows it was you two right?"

"I know that this school may be lousy, May. But they can afford cameras."

"Yeah but he's the only one that knows. We at least told you, but if anyone else found out well...You would have to attend our funeral." Ash said gravely. He didn't even want to know what Gary would do to him. Inwardly, he shivered. May smoothed over her skirt, accepting the information. It was kind of odd, their little trio. With Ash in his old blue jeans and oiled stained shirt, and Misty in her ripped skinny jeans and band tee, and finally May in her well pressed skirt and blouse. They were all different, but somehow when put together, made the best team. Ash smiled.

"Well I got to go. It's my turn to cook dinner tonight. Bye guys!" May waved, as she turned to walk home.

"See ya May!"

"Oh and no detours you two!" May winked at them. She laughed as Misty screamed a colorful array of curse words at her. Ash pulled Misty away.

"Come on Mist! I'm the one who has to drive you home ya know!"

"Oh bull. We live in the same neighborhood!"

* * *

><p>Dawn walked side by side with Ursala on their way to cheer practice. Their last period class had just ended.<p>

"And then he had the nerve to pick our groups for us! I mean, seriously! What if I I'm stuck with people who don't do any work?" Dawn complained, retelling the events that happened in Lance's class.

"You see Dawnie? This is exactly why I didn't pick Communications as one of my classes." Ursula replied, focused more on the task of admiring her newly manicured nails.

"I thought it would be different! I mean communications is basically just talking, right?"

"Well your group can't be all bad, can it?"

"Lets see, I was grouped with Drew and Gary, so I guess that's a plus. There's also Ash. Um I think I'm also with Misty and May, those two girls who always hang out together. But then I have some random girl name Leaf and whoever Paul Sinji is."

"Ugh, Misty? That girl who refused to join the squad just because her sisters had been on it? Ugh. She's so weird, especially with her clothes. She's trying too hard to be punk."

"Yeah, that's her."

"Well, at least you have three cute guys. And whoever Paul is. But that Leaf girl is weird, she's like such a loner." Dawn frowned. She didn't like when her friends constantly made fun of other people. Her mom had always told her to treat others like she wanted to be treated. Even though she knew it was wrong, she didn't say anything. Changing the subject, Dawn ventured into the one topic she knew Ursula loved: boys.

"Who do you think he is anyway?"

"Who Paul? Eh, who cares? There's like a million guys here. He could be anyone. You'll find out soon enough anyways."

"Yeah..." But she couldn't help imagining the mysterious stranger.

* * *

><p>"I want something big, Leaf! Something to really wow the crowd. Your dung story was good, but not <em>gripping <em>enough. I want dirt, scandals, gossip. Understand?" Jesse, the head of the journalist club, ordered. Leaf resisted the urge to throw her book at her. Jesse wouldn't care if she made up a story about Principal Brown marrying an ursaring! The better the lies the better the story. That was her philosophy. Leaf sighed, and reluctantly nodded.

"Got it boss." She deadpanned.

"No, not just got it! I want to know what you can give me! Do you want to keep your spot as head reporter? Because if you don't start delivering, then I'm gonna have to give it up." Leaf panicked.

"No! I...I can get you a story. Stories, in fact. You see, there's this project I'm doing in communications class. It's about putting yourself in the shoes of others. I can find out things about them. Gossip, ya know?" Leaf brushed her brown hair out of her face. Ok so she was desperate. But Jesse wasn't kidding when she said she would give her spot up. Leaf had only been appointed head reporter because Jesse fired the last guy.

"Well, I suppose I can live with that. But you better deliver!" Leaf gulped. She hoped so too.

* * *

><p>Today Drew was driving home in style with his bright red convertible, a gift from his father. You see, Drew happened to come from a very wealthy family. Even so, Drew was not spoiled. He was very respectful towards his parents and appreciated the things they gave him. But sometimes the aristocratic lifestyle became too overwhelming. Truth be told, he hated the stuffiness of it all. Which was why he usually went over to Gary's house instead of his. He parked the car in the garage, and hung the keys up on the wall. He found his mother in the kitchen, placing a new bouquet of flowers into her favorite china vase. They were roses.<p>

"Drew, honey, your father would like to speak to you up in his study. He says it's important." She spoke softly to him, giving him a warm motherly smile. His mother looked very young for her age, with her blonde hair piled up at the top of her head, and her soft delicate features. She always wore the most recent clothes from her fashion studio too. Drew nodded before kissing her cheek.

"Yes mother." He trudged up the long staircase that lead to the upper level of their house. There he stood in front of the elegantly crafted doorway, awaiting his demise. They didn't have the best relationship, his father and him. Before entering, Drew always remembered to knock. After receiving the muffled 'enter' from his father he turned the elaborately designed doorknob, and entered the cool room.

Mr. Hayden was, in one word, intimidating. He was a very tall man with broad shoulders and dangerously handsome features. He was also known for his stern, unwavering looks. Anyone who attempted to cross him would always pay for it later. He had the same green hair as Drew, only cut to fit a more practical routine. Luckily, Drew had gotten his mother's eyes, instead of the soul sucking grey of his father's.

"Andrew my boy, please sit down." Drew did as he was told, making sure to sit properly. "How was school?"

"Fine." He staidly replied.

"I hope you manage to stay ahead of your studies this year. Because next year you will be graduating."

"Yes sir." His father leaned forward, his grey eyes boring into his own.

"Drew it's time we talk about your future. I know that I won't be around forever. And if you are going to properly carry on the family business when I go, you must have the proper training." Drew's heart stopped. He had never even considered taking up his father's position. He never wanted to. Drew cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"You are going to take up the family business, Andrew."

"No!" The words escaped his lips before he could stop them. Drew's father looked shocked.

"No? What do you mean no?" His voice had risen profoundly. Drew gulped, trying to look anywhere but his father's eyes.

"What I mean is, I don't want to take up the family business." A minute passed with nothing but dead silence. His father's face was pensive and calculating, his eyes locked onto Drew.

"Tell me, Andrew. You must have something better in mind then? A lawyer, a doctor, an entrepreneur?" Drew hesitated.

"A coordinator..." His father's fist slammed against the desk. Drew cringed.

"A coordinator!? You plan on becoming a coordinator? There is no future there! How do you expect to make a living!? I will not support you forever you know!"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts! Do you not understand how juvenile you are being!? I thought that when you took the class it was just for your pleasure. I had no idea you had intentions of wasting your life away trying to accomplish something so ludicrous! You think that every moronic trainer who owns a pokeball actually makes it in a career such as coordinating? Do you think that everyone gets to be a Top Coordinator, or a Pokemon Master!? Well they don't. And no son of mine is going to waste their life away doing so!"

"You can't just decide my life for me!"

"I can and I will. In fact, I forbid you." The words cut into Drew's heart like a dagger.

"No." Drew backed away from his father's desk.

"What did you just say to me!?"

"No! You can't do this to me! It's unfair!" His father stood up, getting ready for the kill.

"Did you know that a child's legal guardian has a say whether or not their child's pokemon license is handed out? I can do this Drew. And I will."

* * *

><p>May sat down on the edge of her bed, pulling out the packet that Lance had given them. Her room was painted a light red color, almost pink. The furniture surrounding her was made of dark mahogany wood, all handmade. Her bedspread was a deep royal red color. She remembered when she first decorated the room. Her mother had thought that it would be best if May had her own room for a change, instead of sharing with her little brother. So they had changed her father's old office into a room fit for a teenager. She returned her gaze down to the paper. The packet went as follows:<p>

A Day in the Life of Others.

Hello students,

The following information will be your guidelines to the project you are expected to do. You, along with your partners are expected to, by the end of the course, create a presentation about what you have learned. The goal of this project is to put yourself in another person's shoes. Each person in the group will be sharing a bit about themselves to the others. (This is not something as simple as what your favorite color or pokemon is.) I would like you to expand upon this. Learn each other's dreams, and beliefs. What you plan on doing in the next chapter of your lives. Learn each other's roots and origins. Learn each other's family and friends. Passions, interests, hobbies. Expand! Spend time with each other. Get to know each other. Because you can't always go through life sitting at the same lunch table with the same people forever and ever. You must learn to go beyond that. Communications is more than just learning how to give speeches, or oral presentations. Communications is about communicating to others and learning from that. Your project can be presented however you like, as long as you showcase what you have learned.

Good luck,

-Lance


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again to all who have favored and followed this story! Special shout out to n00dlemporium and QuartzClaw for reviewing. Happy reading! **

Drew had always known Gary was...ostentatious, but watching him pull up in his black corvette, windows rolled down, and music blaring was just taking it to another level. Gary regarded him for a moment, giving him a once over, before pushing his sunglasses down and unlocking the car. "Get in bitch."

Drew rolled his eyes. Honestly, he had no idea why he was friends with Gary in the first place. Drew had barely even closed the door of the passenger seat before Gary had already hit the gas pedal and was taking off.

"Arceus Gary. Remind me again how you passed your driving test." Drew asked, instantly regretting asking for a ride. Gary grinned.

"Let's just say, the Oak charm never fails."

"I don't even want to know what your so called _Oak charm _entails."

"Oh come on. You don't want any tips from the master?" Drew scoffed.

"_Please." _

"Fine suit yourself. But don't come crying to me when you finally get a girl to kiss you, and you don't even know where to put your hands."

"Gary, I know where you put your hands. And trust me, they're better off at your sides." Gary rolled his eyes. This, however, almost caused him to miss a turn. He only recovered by turning the wheel at the last second, jolting Drew's body to the right in the process. "Damn it, Gary! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Hey, you're the own who asked for a ride!"

"Yeah, but if I had known it was going to be like this I would have _walked!"_ Gary snorted, like the idea of Drew Hayden walking was a joke in itself. Drew turned his gaze to the road in front of him, before his eyes widened in fear. "Gary watch out!"

"Huh? Shit!" He slammed on the breaks, emitting a loud shrieking sound. The car stopped right before they collided with a girl. She looked like a stantler caught in headlights, and the fact that the car was just inches away from her body didn't help. When she finally recovered, her emerald eyes sharpened. Drew looked over at the spiky haired boy next to him, who looked like he was about to pee his pants. "Oh, shit."

Before Drew had even registered what happened, the brown haired girl tapped on Gary's window. Drew could have sworn there was fire in her eyes. Gary yelped. Rolling the window down, Drew braced himself for the upcoming storm.

"LEARN HOW TO DRIVE ASSHOLE." She then proceeded to dump the entire contents of her coffee all over Gary's head. It was scalding hot too. She then stormed off, muttering cuss words under her breath the whole way. Drew sat there with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Gary, who was that?" He looked over at Drew and glared.

"Leaf Greene, that's who it was. I can't believe it. Out of all the people in the whole world, I managed to piss off the most dangerous one." Drew stared at Gary in disbelief.

It was official. Drew was never getting a ride from Gary, ever again.

* * *

><p>Misty pulled her bright orange locks up into her signature side pony. Her bangs were getting pretty long, and she would cut them too if it weren't for her sisters constantly nagging her all the time to get them trimmed. She scanned herself in the mirror, holding her phone to her ear as May was busy ranting some complaint about her little brother to her.<p>

"Uh huh," Misty said, "keep going."

"Ugh! He is such a pest! Yesterday, I was just finishing up my newest painting, you know the one of the big willow tree out by the park, when Max came into my room demanding that I give him the paint for some science project of his. Of course I refused. I mean, I was trying to finish the last strokes of the bark. He could have waited!" May yelled, causing Misty to hold the phone farther away from her ear.

"Well, what happened?" She turned to the side. The shirt she was wearing was black., with the sleeves cut off and slits going down the each side. She wore a red sports bra underneath that could be seen through the slits. Her pants were white skinny jeans, that were held up with a black studded belt. To top it all off, she he wore a pair of red converse. Satisfied with her look, she went to collect her bag and wait for Ash.

"The little brat tried taking the brush out if my hands! Then he pushed me, causing the stupid jar of paint to spill onto the canvas!"

"Oh mew, May you spent forever on that!"

"I know," she sounded crestfallen, "and of course Mom didn't get him in trouble. She yelled at me for always fighting with him!" Misty shook her head. She knew how May felt. Her sisters were just as evil, and she had three. Speaking of the devil, her eldest sister, Daisy, came strolling into her room. Daisy was, in all senses, a walking Barbie. She had long blonde hair, a body girls could only dream about, and the same pink attire.

"Misty, like, your boyfriend just pulled up." Daisy said with her perfect valley girl accent.

"Ok Dais, in a minute," Misty replied, before processing what she had said, "wait a second! ASH IS _NOT _MY BOYFRIEND!" Daisy snickered.

"Whatever you say baby sister."

"Ugh!" Misty turned her attention back to the phone.

"You still there Misty?" May asked.

"Sorry May, got to go! Talk to you at school." She slipped her phone into her back pocket and raced down the stairs before Lily or Violet could get to Ash. When she got outside she booked it to his rusty blue pick-up. He smiled at her.

"Hey Mist-"

"DRIVE DAMN IT, DRIVE!" His eyes widened before he stumbled with the ignition and abrubtly took off.

"Geez Misty chill why don't you!" She sighed before rubbing her temples.

"Sorry Ash, I just didn't want to deal with my sisters." Ash shrugged before turning up the tunes on the radio. He flashed her a grin.

"Well Misty buckle up cause we are out of here!" She couldn't help but smile. She cranked up the volume some more.

"You got it Ashyboy!"

* * *

><p>May was having one of the worst days in the history of bad days. First, her brat of a brother destroyed her painting, which had took roughly a month to finish. Then, if that wasn't enough, he had ate the last of the sugared cereal, leaving her with her father's tasteless bran. But that's not all. She missed the bus that morning, which shouldn't have been a problem considering the fact that she usually walks anyways, but it was. You see, her alarm didn't go off that morning which meant she had to run to make it on time. Oh, and one more thing. She had PE first period.<p>

"Run ladies! Pick up your feet! My grandmother could run faster than you, AND SHE'S DEAD!" Lt. Surge, their PE coach, barked as they ran across the track. May ran by herself, her arms at 90 degree angles and her breathing even. She was a fairly good runner, not quite in the front but far enough ahead of the pack to escape Lt. Surge's wrath. She looked in front of her where Ursula, and Melody were sitting. They had faked a side ache to get out of running. Surge may be tough, but he does care about your overall health. He blindly believed their story. May passed the two of them right as Ursula stuck her dainty pink stiletto clad foot out. May fell on her knees.

"Oops." She heard Ursula crassly say. If there was one thing that May hated most about this school it was the bullies. They usually left her alone when Misty was there to scare them off. But she didn't need to take PE, 'cause of her sports credits. May fought back tears as she heard Melody and Ursula snickering to themselves.

"May," she heard the gruff direct voice of Lt. Surge behind her, "why did you stop running!?" She looked up at him and sniffed.

"I...um...fell." She could feel the blood dripping down her leg.

"Well get your butt down to the nurse's office! Someone go with her!" May heard footsteps come up behind them.

"I'll go." She was shocked to see the cobalt eyes belonging to Dawn.

"Well hurry up then!"

* * *

><p>Dawn looked over at May as they walked the corridor that lead to the nurse's office. Her head was held down, the shoulder length brown hair shielding her face. She frowned.<p>

"Hey, uh May," she started, unsure of how to begin, "how's your leg?"

"Fine. It's really nothing." She replied, rubbing her shoulder awkwardly. Dawn shook her head.

"I saw what happened May, with Ursula. It wasn't nothing"

"Oh...yeah."

"What she did...what Melody and her always do...it isn't nice. In fact, I hate it."

"Yeah well...that's Ursula for you."

"But she really isn't as bad as she seems, you know. In fact she can be pretty nice sometimes." May frowned.

"Why are you defending her? You know, you say you hate the way she acts, and the way she treats people, but you're just as bad not saying anything." Dawn went quiet. She didn't know how to respond to that. For a moment, her face shifted ever so slightly over to May. Her brown hair tucked behind one ear, the modest make up around her blue eyes, the downward tilt of the head, looking at her, she didn't understand how anyone could be so mean. There was nothing to hate about her at all. If anything, Ursula was just jealous. By the time they reached the nurse's office, the blood on May's leg had dried.

"I...I'm sorry." May managed a tight smile.

"Don't be. Thanks for walking with me. I think I can handle the rest." Dawn hesitated.

"No, um, let me stay. You should have some company."

* * *

><p><em>Attention students, <em>

_If you attend Mr. West's communications class at any time, please note that class will be held in the school library instead of the normal room A.27. If you do not know where the library is, please stop and ask one of the secretaries up in the front office for directions. You all should know where that is...you've been here enough times. Ahem, that is all."_

* * *

><p>Leaf walked along the freshly polished floors, passed the girls restroom that everyone went to smoke, across the janitors closet that was actually used for cleaning supplies and finally until she reached the brass doorknob of the library. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself before she had to enter. Usually, Leaf loved the library. Mostly because she could actually think there, it calmed her. She, unlike most people, enjoyed the quietness of it all. There she felt like she could achieve anything, like knowledge was somehow tangible. But as soon as she heard the overhead announcement informing her that she must to go there for Lance's class, she instantly dreaded it. The idea of having to spend every class talking with people she didn't know unnerved her. First there was Dawn, who was pretty much Miss. Popular. It wasn't that she disliked her, it was just her perkiness was a little...inordinate. Then there was the Misty, May, Ash group. They were just so immersed with each other, like they didn't need anyone but the three of them. Then there was Drew and Gary, who were too handsome for their own good. It was already hard enough sharing a locker with Gary, but being forced to talk to him for a whole hour was unbearable. And Paul...well she had never met the guy. The only reason why she didn't skip the class was because she needed to get some inside info on them for her newspaper. She saw Lance by the doorway as she entered.<p>

"Ah Leaf, welcome. You're group is over by the lounge area. Try to get along, will you." He said as he marked her name on his attendance board. She tried her best to smile. Her feet took her over to the grey couches where the rest of the group were. Her eyes scanned them all, analyzing the situation. Misty, May, and Ash were sharing one couch, with May in the middle attempting to push them apart as they yelled at each other. Drew looked over at the trio slightly amused, his body crouched over on the coffee table in front of him. Dawn was just checking her reflection in her compact, oblivious to the commotion around her. Leaf's jade eyes then landed on the spiky haired teenager in front of her, his body sprawled against the couch in a leisurely fashion. Her heart had still been pounding since the event earlier that morning. She glared.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, "don't we have a project to be doing?" They all looked up at her, exchanging nervous glances with one another. It was Dawn who first spoke up.

"Hi Leaf, we're waiting for one more person." Suddenly a gruff voice sounded behind her, startling her.

"I'm right here."


	4. Chapter 4

**New chapter up! Thanks again all of you! And thank you Lapiz14 and QuartzClaw for reviewing. If you guys have any suggestions or criticisms please feel free to tell me!**

"I'm right here." Everyone turned their gaze in the direction of the steely voice. Standing before them, in all his glory, was the mysterious Paul Sinji. He looked over at them, with a scowl etched deep onto his features as if it were permanently there.

No one said a word.

This should be at no surprise given the fact that Paul was pretty intimidating. He had shoulder length purple hair, which kids used to tease him about until he socked Barry Platinum in the nose for calling him a plum, and dark saturnine eyes. He wore a pair of black cargo pants with clunky combat boots adorned on his feet, and a grey t-shirt under a black jacket. He was handsome, yes, but he had an aura around him that said 'Don't even think about coming near me unless you want your head cut off." He was just downright scary. He stalked off to grab a chair, before pulling it over to them and sitting with the back of it in front. "Well," Paul began, his scowl deepening, "if you all are done staring, can we get on with the fucking thing?" Dawn's eyes widened.

"Hey! I know you!" She chirped, scooting closer to him so she could talk.

"No, you don't."

"Yes i do! I ran into you in the halls on my way to class one day. It was this class actually. Which is weird because I don't remember seeing you in this class. Why is that? Were you kicked out? Or maybe you got called down to the principal's office! But anyway, I ran into you and..." Dawn trailed off, suddenly remembering what had happened. She gasped. "YOU WERE SO RUDE! I was trying to be nice to you and start a conversation but you blew me off! I mean, didn't anyone ever teach you common manners!? I mean it's common courteously to answer someone when they ask you a question and-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY? Arceus you're so annoying!" Paul thundered, his heated gaze enough to send Dawn back to her original spot. Her glossed stained lips frowned.

"Excuse me?" Dawn looked ready to burst. Misty suddenly interjected, already fed up with the yelling.

"Okay, that's enough you two. Dawn, step away from him, and Paul come on man have a little patience." Ash snorted beside her.

"Patience? You?" She glared.

"Do you really want to start something Ashyboy? Cause I will end it!" Now it was Gary's turn to laugh.

"Ashyboy? Oh that's rich! I'm so using that from now on!" He said, smirking at Ash's face as it turned red. Leaf decided to join in next.

"You're one to talk Gary. I mean, you're like a walking hedgehog." Her mouth quirked up into a devious smile. Gary looked offended.

"Did you just call _The Gary Oak_, a hedgehog?"

"Yeah, I did hedgy." She then ruffled the spikes for good measure. May watched in astonishment as they all went at each other. Dawn was busy lecturing Paul, practically screaming at his face while he stood there ignoring her, which only ended up making her madder. Misty and Ash were going at it, Misty practically strangling Ash, which was normal to be honest. Finally Gary and Leaf were fighting, with Leaf making fun on Gary's hair and Gary yelling at her for messing it up. May looked over at the giant red sign that said: _Quiet! This is a place of work! _

How ironic.

"Wow, I knew that the librarian was old, but I didn't think her hearing was _this _bad." Drew said to May, attempting to break the ice. She jumped, clearly not expecting him to be so close. He smirked at her. "Geez, I didn't mean to scare you."

"I was not scared, I was merely...surprised, that's all." She replied, trying not to notice the way his emerald eyes were boring into her own.

"Sure you weren't June." He was close to her. And she became increasingly aware of the fact that his hand was almost touching hers and she was afraid to move because only one little inch was separating the two of them and if she were to move she might accidently touch him; and she tried not to notice the intoxicating cologne he was sporting and...wait a minute. Did he just say June? Her hands formed fists.

"What did you call me?"

"I called you June. That's your name, right?" His smirk became more prominent the same way her rage did.

"My name is not June! ITS MAY!" His eyes widened, he was not expecting that. Now she was yelling at him. Their whole group filling the libraries with their screams.

It was safe to say they were doing pretty well with their project.

* * *

><p>Ok, so they weren't doing so great with their project. In fact, It had took roughly twenty minutes for Lance to actually break them all apart. Which had took even more screaming and fighting. Finally, when he was done, only escaping minimal bruises, he had placed them in a circle, side by side with people whom he was sure wouldn't attack the person next to them. It just so happened to be Ash , Drew, Misty, Paul, Leaf, May, Gary, and Dawn respectively, with Dawn completing the circle by sitting next to Ash.<p>

"Now if you all are _sure_ you can behave yourself like the young adults you are, instead of the 10 year olds I just witnessed, you may get on with your project." Lance sternly said, already beginning to get a headache. A chorus of 'yes sir' went around the circle. Lance stalked off.

"So," May said awkwardly looking at the rest of them, "how should we begin?" Misty lazily read the packet before turning her gaze to the circle.

"Well, basically, if I'm not mistaken, we are supposed to get to know each other. Now I don't know about you guys but sharing my whole life story doesn't seem like the best idea right now. And I certainly don't feel like hearing all of yours...no offense." She said, easing back against one of the tables.

"Yeah, but isn't that the point of the project? To get to know each other to a point where we want to share stuff with each other?" Dawn asked, tugging at her blue locks. Misty's eye twitched

"You see, that's exactly why I _don't_ want to share stuff with you people. Because you guys know and I know that if it weren't for this project, we would have never even _considered _speaking to each other."

"You don't have to be so cynical! Besides you don't know that."

"Oh trust me, I do." Drew cut in, trying to prevent another blow up.

"Hey, listen! Misty I understand that you think this project is stupid. I get it, but it doesn't change the fact that we have to do it. So we better find a way to make peace, and actually give it a try."

"Drew's right," Leaf stated, "I for one don't feel like failing a class, especially one as easy as this." Misty looked peeved, but eventually gave in.

"Fine. Whatever." Ash's stomach suddenly grumbled. He laughed nervously.

"Heh, sorry guys. Guess I'm a bit hungry." May looked off in the distance with a dreamy look on her face.

"I could really use some pizza right now." She sighed. Dawn jumped up with delight, her lips forming into a smile.

"That's it! Pizza! It's the perfect way for us to get to know each other!" Her eyes lit up, as of already imagining what could happen.

"How the fuck is pizza going to solve anything?" Paul said for the first time since they started. Dawn, who was caught off guard, jumped. Ash glared at Paul.

"Pizza solves _everything!_" He said, getting in a fighting stance, ready to defend all that was holy and cheesy.

"But think about it! We eat, we talk, and we hang out. It's a great plan, plus we get food!" May said smiling.

"It's not bad." Leaf agreed.

"Then it's settled. After school we go get pizza. You all are free right?" Dawn said, glancing at everyone for approval. Her eyes landed on Gary before she sighed with defeat. "He's sleeping!" As if to prove her point, Gary emitted a loud snore. Leaf stomped over to him and pushed him off the couch. He fell with a strangled cry.

"Ow! What the fuck?"

"Get your bag, we're going for pizza!" She yelled, fed up with him already. Leaf already dreaded having to spend more time with the useless hedgehog.

"Who, you and me?" He asked with a wink. She resisted the urge to smack him. Resisting...resisting...resistance futile. She smacked him upside the head.

"No!" She then stalked off to wait by the door since the bell was about to ring. Hopefully she could get her stuff out of her locker before Gary recovered. The rest of them sweat dropped. Ash then jumped up with glee, taking Misty's arm in the process.

"Yay pizza! Come on Mist! May, I'm totally challenging you to a eating contest!" He then processed to run to the door, dragging a protesting Misty with him. Dawn turned her face toward Paul.

"You coming?" She asked him. He scowled at her.

"Does it look like I have much of a choice?" He replied, following the rest of the group. May grabbed her bag with flourish and Drew looked at the excited brunette with amusement.

"Wow you must really want food." He remarked.

"Well duh! I'm starving!" She said as if it were obvious.

"You know May, I know a shortcut. Want to beat them there?" She looked unsure, weighing the options in her head. In the end, the idea of getting there before Ash ate everything won over.

"You're on!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Again, thanks everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favored my story, you guys really keep me going! Special thanks to the reviewers: n00dlemporium, Lapiz14, and QuartzClaw. It's nice to see what you think of the chapters. Okay! Enjoy :)**

Driving in a car with May Maple was something Drew never thought would everhappen. After the event that occurred with Gary that morning, Drew had made sure that he went back to his house at lunch to retrieve his car. Okay, so technically Drew's father had taken it away from him after their fight, but there was no way in hell he was risking his life letting Gary drive him around again. Luckily, his father would be gone at work the whole day. Drew shifted his gaze to the girl next to him. May had been quiet, looking out the window as an excuse not to talk. Her face was tranquil, the blueness in her eyes bright. Her shoulder length hair blew gently with AC. _She's kind of beautiful, _Drew thought to himself. Then after realizing what he had thought, he almost swerved. _Where did that come from?_ He shook his head as if to rid it from anymore crazy thoughts. He cleared his throat.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her, attempting some conversation. She turned her face towards him, and smiled shyly.

"Nothing...just daydreaming." She said back, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Just daydreaming? What about? Your boyfriend?" He teased her. Laughing as her face turned red.

"No!"

"Okay okay! Relax I was just kidding." She huffed crossing her arms over her chest. Then she turned to him once again.

"I was actually thinking about you." This time, he actually did swerve. _Shit, _he inwardly yelled. After recollecting himself, and getting his heartbeat down, he turned towards her once again. He put on his best smirk.

"Gee Maple, I'm flattered. But try to keep those thoughts of yours to a PG level." He flicked his green colored hair, smirking as her cheeks turned red. It was just too easy to get her all flustered.

"Ugh! Not like that!" She punched him in the arm.

"Whoa! Hey now, I'm trying to drive here." Her lips turned into a pout.

"For your information I was thinking about why you of all people would invite me into your car. I mean, I've never even talked to you before. I get that we have to do a project and everything, but I could have just gone with Misty and Ash." _Crap, how am I supposed to respond to that? _He inwardly panicked. He didn't even know why he asked her to come with him himself. He cleared his throat, trying to buy some extra time.

"Well, consider it, me doing you a favor. I mean, you did want to beat Ash here didn't you?"

"I guess so. But you still didn't have to."

"I know." He looked over at her as she stared down at her hands.

"I guess I just thought that you were just some rich snob, who didn't have time to deal with anyone who isn't like you. I see you with all those preppy girls and the popular guys and I don't know, it's like we are from different worlds. I never thought that we would even cross paths." He looked at her incrediously.

"Now your just sounding clichè." She laughed.

"Yeah, I am aren't I?"

"You know, I'm not like those other guys. I don't have a new catch every week, or use my money to get good grades, or anything like that. You know I've only had one solid girlfriend."

"Really? But you're so..." She trailed off, face going red.

"So what? Handsome? Drop dead gorgeous? A god sent from above?" He smirked down at her again.

"Pshh, as if!"

"And what about you huh?"

"What about me?"

"No boyfriend?" She laughed nervously, running her hands through her hair absentmindedly.

"I had one once, his name was Brendon. But I moved away, and we had to break up. I was really sad for a while, until I met Misty and Ash of course. I actually used to have a crush on Ash too, when I first came here. But, I think that he and Misty are a little too close for that to have ever happened."

"Well then I guess we both are not so different after all." She smiled.

"I guess not. Hey Drew?"

"Yeah, December." She glared at him, but surprisingly didn't hit him again.

"Okay, ignoring that one. So what makes this detour of yours such a shortcut?" His eyes lit up, he was hoping she'd ask that.

"Well it just so happens that in this case, the scenic route is the short cut." As if to prove his point, the road they had been driving on suddenly changed. Around them, fall's mighty colors flourished. Reams of light cascaded through the foliage, sending beams of sun to ignite their pathway. Reds and oranges and yellows all scattered along the earth, vibrant and exuberant. Above them, the blue sky was scattered with dancing clouds. It was as if they had fallen into a painting.

"Whoa." Was the only word May could utter. He smiled.

"I knew you would like it."

* * *

><p>"Ash Ketchum slow the fuck down!" Misty screamed, hanging on to her seat for dear life. She prayed to Arceus that Ash wouldn't get them both killed.<p>

"No can do Mist, there's pizza at stake!" He yelled back, laughing as Misty sent a stream of curse words his way. Misty had always outdone Ash on _everything_. Whether it was grades, sports, or when they had battle class, she had always managed to come out on top. Okay, so maybe Ash was a little better at her at battling. But It was harder for her! She specialized in water pokemon! But that's besides the point. She just never understood how Ash managed to get his drivers license, while she couldn't. In fact, she had took the stupid test about 20 times! The questions weren't a big deal, she _aced _those. It was just the damn driving part that she always failed on. She didn't even know why. As soon as she got behind the wheel something was going to break, like that stop sign she ran into, or her first driving instructor, she always managed to destroy something. It enraged her so much! Especially the fact that she was in her senior year, and she was the only teenager who didn't have their license. How Ash Ketchum managed it, she had no idea.

"Ash Ketchum, I swear to Arceus if you kill me I will come back as a freaking ghost, AND HAUNT YOU FOR HE REST OF YOUR SHITTY LIFE!" Ash stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

"Wow Mist! Such language. Very scary."

"ASH!" She punched him as hard as she could in the arm.

"Owww!" he wailed, and then to himself, "much hurt." As soon as they got to the pizza place, Misty was going to kill him. There would be blood.

* * *

><p>Dawn was the last person to arrive at the resturaunt. The big neon letters that marked the entrance read: GARCHOMP'S PIZZARIA! It wasn't the most popular place, but it was still a popular place to hang out. It may have been packed, but their group stood out like sore thumbs. Ash was pouting like a little kid, his arms crossed over his chest. May and Drew were laughing at him, probably since they had beaten him there in record time. That, or Misty had beaten him up again. Speaking of the redhead, she was busy sipping her coke, enjoying Ash's displeasure. Gary was playing hockey with his straw wrapper, attempting to hit it between the salt and pepper shakers that acted as the posts, and Leaf and Paul were reading the menu, deciding which pizza they would order.<p>

"Hey Dawn!" May greeted as she approached the table. She slid in the booth besides Paul. Dawn looked over at the brunette and smiled. She seemed at ease, laughing along with Drew, and teasing Ash. It was nice seeing May come out of her shell a little.

"So guys, have you decided what you want to eat yet?" Dawn asked, peering over Paul's shoulder at the menu. He shrugged her off. _So rude,_ she thought to herself, pouting at the guy. Paul was a mystery to her. She wasn't used to guys turning her away. Not that she was trying to get Paul's attention or anything, she just wasn't used to being ignored. It just made her feel really small. Even the clothes she had painstakingly picked out that morning seemed to lose their appeal. The cute ruffled pink skirt, the dark denim jacket over a white tank top, and the super fab pair of wedges she had on just seemed out of place. Dawn looked over at the other girls.

May was wearing a pair of black leggings, a white plain T-shirt, and a pair of red converse. Her hair was loose, and it looked like she just woke up, brushed it, and was done, she didn't need to put any work into it and it still came out amazing. Misty on the other hand was stylish with out even trying. She just had that confidence around her that said, 'This is what I'm wearing, if don't like it, keep moving.' Misty didn't care what she was wore as long as she felt comfortable in it. The white skinny jeans were super chic too. Finally, there was Leaf who was wearing a green sweater that really made her eyes stand out. She was also wearing a simple pair of jean capris, and pink flip flops. Her hair was long, almost down her whole back, and it was insanely shiny and pretty. It was hard for Dawn not to feel jealous. All the girls had really little make up on too. Misty being the only exception, her eyes were lined with black khol. Dawn tilted her head. Misty would look a lot prettier without the eyeliner, but she guessed it was just part of her image.

"What do you think Dawn?" Leaf had broke her trance. She looked around confused. Had she just spaced out? She tended to do that a lot.

"I'm sorry, what?" Dawn asked.

"Which pizza do you want?"

"Oh um...I don't care. Whatever you guys want." Ash jumped up from across the table, snatching the menu.

"Ooh, lets get one of those. Oh, and definitely one of those, but hold the anchovies. Oh we gotta try that one, it has three types of cheese, sounds fancy! But we can't forget the classic pepperoni! Oh wait is that a make your own!?" He said rapid fast, his eyes dancing with delight. Misty took the menu away from him, right as the waitress came by to take their order.

"Yes," she started looking over the menu herself, "we'll have three large pizzas. One pepperoni, the other hawaiin, and finally one with everything on it." Misty handed her the menu, with a smile. If she had let Ash decide, they would be out of money.

* * *

><p>"Now that we've ordered I think it's time to get down to business." said Leaf, reminding everyone why they were there in the first place. It was a little difficult to really start any conversation. Paul was being his staotic self as usual, so there really wouldn't be any on his side; Gary was busy texting someone, his game of straw hockey long forgotten; and everyone else was waiting for the others to speak. May smiled awkwardly.<p>

"How about a game?" She said, running her arm nervously.

"May you're a genious!" Dawn exclaimed, clasping her hands in delight.

"She is? Huh, you learn something new everyday." Drew mused, earning a glare from the brunette.

"What kind of game?" Ash asked curiosily. Misty and Gary didn't say anything, but they did seem to be paying more attention, as if ready to prove they could beat anyone at any game. Paul seemed indifferent but it was better than doing nothing.

"Have you guys ever played Never Have I Ever?" Dawn asked, a smirk forming on her pretty face.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dawn, you do know that Never Have I Ever is a game that involves alcohol right?" Misty said flatly. Dawn sighed.

"I know that! We don't have to use alcohol though. In fact, I have a better idea." Dawn's eyes gleamed. She took the half full pitcher of water and set it in the middle of the table. Then, she snatched Ash's orange soda out of his hands and poured it. Dawn then went to Misty's Coke, Leaf's lemonade, and Gary's Pepsi, adding them to the concoction. Her own raspberry ice tea was put in along for good measure. Finally, after stirring it, she added a dash of pepper. The others looked at it with disgust.

"We are going to drink this." She said, satisfied with her work.

"That looks like shit." Gary said disdainfully, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Misty said, agreeing with the spiky haired teen, "There is no way in hell I'm drinking out of that." Dawn frowned.

"You have to! Come on guys, this is for our bonding!" She pleaded with them.

"Yeah Mist! Unless, you know...you're scared." Ash said with a knowing look. He knew for a fact that Misty never backed down from a challenge. One time, he and her had a bet to see which one could eat as much corndogs, cotton candy, fried dough, and slushies as they could before getting on a roller coaster. Whoever threw up first was the loser. Ash had lost twenty pokedollars for it, but it was worth seeing the look on Misty's face when he spewed chunks all over her. He still had the picture too.

"I am not scared." She said dangerously, emphasizing every word.

"Then let's play." Their heated gazes tore into each other. Dawn mentally thanked Ash for convincing her to play.

"Okay," Dawn said, "let's do this."

* * *

><p>"The rules of the game are simple. When it's your turn, you say something that you've never done before, if someone else has done what you've mentioned, they have to drink from their cup. The goal of the game is to pick something you are sure others have done, that way they are forced to drink. You can also say something you have done, but then you also have to drink. Easy right? It's great for getting to know people. Or getting confessions out of them. So you guys ready?" Dawn said, her pink lips forming into a smile. The others groaned, but reluctantly agreed. She poured the dreaded drink into everybody's glasses. Misty looked at Ash and glared. Revenge would come.<p>

"Can I start?" She asked innocently, giving Dawn an award winning smile. Happy oblivious Dawn agreed.

"Of course! See I knew you would get into the spirit!" A devious smirk fell over Misty's features. Oh she was in the spirit all right. She looked straight at Ash causing him to gulp.

"Never have I ever...wet my pants in front of my crush before." The color drained from Ash's face.

"Misty! What the heck!? You totally targeted that on me!" He yelled, his face red. The others laughed.

"Wait you mean to tell me that you peed your pants in front if a girl!? Ashyboy, I knew you were bad with the ladies, but I never expected it to be like this!" Gary exclaimed, trying out the new nickname. Ash glared at the table.

"It's not funny."

"It's a little funny." Leaf said, trying to hold in her giggles.

"Yeah come on Ash, even you have to admit that," Drew said, "now you _have_ to tell us the story." Ash groaned.

"Actually guys we have to keep the game going, as funny as the story may be. But you do have to pay the price Ash!" Dawn said, pointing to the mystery liquid. Ash looked like he was going to be sick.

"Bottoms up Ashy!" Misty said with fake sweetness. He gave her the finger. Hesitantly, he brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. The others looked at him expectantly.

"Actually, it's not bad." He said, licking his lips.

"Really?" May asked.

"Why don't you give it a try then April?" Drew said prompting her. She made a face.

"Nice try grass head." Drew narrowed his eyes at her.

"Grass head!?" May giggled and nodded. Dawn spoke up before she could elaborate.

"Gary you're up next."

"Okay guys," he began looking at everyone with a toothy smile, "I know one that has happened to all of _you._ Never have I ever, been rejected." He flashed them his famous 'I'm so better that you' smile for good measure. No one wanted to move.

"Come on guys, honesty." Leaf said, taking a sip of her drink. Her face twisted up in disgust. "Ash what the heck!? You said this was good!" He laughed.

"That's what you get!" But unfortunately he had to drink some too. May watched with wide eyes as Drew took one as well. Even Paul had to. Dawn looked down at her own. She had never got rejected, but the thought made her suddenly feel guilty. She cleared her throat.

"Okay, Leaf you're next." She said. Leaf turned her gaze to the spiky haired teen next to her. _He thinks he's so cool huh? This ought to tear down his ego, _she thought to herself.

"Never have I ever," she paused for dramatic effect, catching everyone's eyes, "gotten hit with poké shit!" His eyes went wide. His famous Gary smirk fell.

"Hey! That's not funny and you know it!" He protested. Unfortunately for Gary, everyone else thought it was hilarious. They had all been there the day it had happened and they knew how mad Gary was.

"Better drink up Gary!" He glared, but eventually took a sip. He almost choked.

"Aww sick! Dawn this is disgusting!" he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, "you know, that prank wasn't funny! In fact, if I ever find out who did it, I swear to Arceus I will make their life a living hell!" He glared with so much intensity Leaf thought the glass would break. Ash cast a look in Misty's direction, his eyes wide. She could see the distress on his face. No one else saw. At least, that's what Ash thought. But Leaf had watched everything. _Interesting, _she thought.

"Okay Paul looks like you're up!" Dawn said trying her best to smile at the introvert.

"Fine, but let me think," he answered in a scratchy voice, as if he wasn't used to talking. Now Paul was a very competitive person. Not many people knew this because he knew how to hide it. But under the bored expressions, and evident scowls Paul was smart, observant, and calculative. He knew just what strategies he needed to perform to get the task done. He would, slowly and steadily, begin to play and when they least expected it, he would strike. The quiet atmosphere was part of his plan. Now these kind of strategies were used in pokemon battles, but in this case Paul would make an exception. His eyes scanned the group.

"Never have I ever, done coordinating before." He said very practically. Dawn could have sworn she saw him smirk in her direction. She narrowed her eyes at him and took her first sip of the drink. She gagged.

"Eww, what have I created!?" She yelled, her eyes watering. Drew took a sip of his, and Ash as well, since he had tried it before. That left only May.

"Come on Maple, we've all done it." Misty persuaded, poking her friend in the side. May sighed and looked at the deadly drink. She brought the cup to her lips, inwardly shuttering as the liquid ran past her teeth and down her throat. She blinked.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "this tastes amazing!" As if to prove her point, she took another sip of the drink. Everyone looked at her in disgust.

"May, that's nasty." Ash told her. She only shrugged and drank some more.

"Okay...moving on," Dawn sweat dropped, "my turn I guess. Never have I ever, drank before." Ash looked confused.

"What do you mean? You drink all the time." Misty punched him in the shoulder for his stupidity.

"No Ash, she means drink as in _alcohol!" _She scolded him, shaking her head.

"Oh." Misty, Gary, and Drew all took a swig.

"Wait, you mean to tell me you guys have never had alcohol before? Not even a sip of your parents drink?" Gary asked, unimpressed at their group's lack of experience. "Even you Paul?" Paul sent Gary a glare that would make Medusa turn into stone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Paul said dangerously, his voice rising with every word. Gary threw his hands up. He didn't know Paul could blow up so easily.

"Nothing man, I mean no disrespect. It's just that you seem so...you know..." Gary trailed off.

"You know what? I know what you fucking mean. You think I'm like every other punk ass kid who walks around this stink hole of a school with a cigarette hanging out of their mouths and a knife in their back pocket. But you know what? You don't fucking know me. I don't drink, or smoke, or get high like other teenagers, and just because my appearance suggests otherwise doesn't mean you can put that label on me. I don't even know why I came here in the first place. You guys are all judgmental pricks." Paul said getting up from the table. He swung his back pack across his shoulders, but before he could move Dawn blocked his path.

"Hey, you can't just leave!" She protested, her eyes wide and pleading. He growled.

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because...because...you're a part of our group! And this is a team! You can't just walk out of here because Gary made you mad. We have to learn to get along with each other!"

"You can't tell me what to do."

"No I can't," she agreed, her hand moving to the blade of his broad shoulders, "but I'm asking you to. Please." He looked from her bright blue orbs, to the other's gazes. Her face was intense and for a moment he held her gaze. Her crystal blue eyes were so alluring that he became in a trance. Suddenly he wanted to do anything to make her frown turn into a smile. He shook his head trying to clear the thoughts.

"Fine. Whatever." Dawn let out a sigh of relief. Leaf elbowed Gary in the stomach.

"Ow! Oh, right. Sorry Paul, I crossed the line." Gary said, trying his best to sound sincere.

"Hn" Paul grumbled.

"Okay, um May's turn." Dawn attempted to get the game back on, even though the moment was ruined.

"Okay. Uh, so never have I ever," she paused trying to think of a prompt, her eyes fell on Misty and Ash before she smirked, "kissed my best friend under the bleachers of the school." Misty and Ash's faces exploded with red.

"May," Misty hissed, "what the fuck!?" Ash's eye caught Misty's before they both turned away quickly, their faces flushing more.

"Yeah May," Ash spluttered, "that was in middle school it didn't count! Besides we had just done it to see what it was like." He tried his best to defend them, but his blushing face didn't help their case. It wasn't even a good kiss. It was all teeth, and braces, and nose clashing.

"I don't even know why we tell you things." May laughed at her friend's discomfort. Teasing eachother was something friends do. Misty would get her revenge soon enough, but May could enjoy it why it lasted.

* * *

><p>Their group may not see eye to eye on everything, but they could at least agree on one thing.<p>

The pizza there sucked.

"Gross, it's like cardboard crust and rubber cheese!" Leaf complained, pushing her plate away in disgust. Ash and May had already ate the majority of the pizza, but now the two of them just felt sick.

"Urg," Ash groaned, "remind me again why we came _here_ for pizza?"

"Yeah this was just a bad idea." Misty agreed, absentmindedly reaching for her drink, before reeling her hand away in horror.

"If the pizza here sucks, why is this place so packed?" Gary asked. Dawn pointed to the stage in the front of them. There a singer was setting up.

"I guess they came for the free entertainment." She shrugged. All eight heads turned in the direction of the stage. The guy that was setting up was tall, probably in his early twenties, with dark brown hair that obscured his eyes from their view. He was lanky, and silent and probably not someone to look twice at, but for some reason they couldn't take their eyes off him. He held his guitar protectively.

"Is he any good?" Leaf asked, suddenly enamored. He walked up to the mic and opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey everyone. My name is Dash, and I'm going to be playing a few songs for you," he was cut off by a few cheers, he smiled, "I'm open to take suggestions but for this first time around ill be picking the songs. Ok, here we go." He began strumming some notes, the music feeling the atmosphere. The group looked at him in awe. His voice was layered with the notes.

_I got misled, mistook, discard  
>anything that I said<em>

_Take me out back show me peril, doll  
>'Cause I've got some lies to tell<em>

_She hates her work but loves to flirt  
>Shame, she don't work with me<em>

_She gets uptight and don't like when I'm gal  
>But, she won't let on to me<em>

He strummed his guitar again, building it. He sang louder.

_I said I'm only looking out for you,_

_She said it's obvious that's a lie_

_But, I only ever put out for you,_

_You know it's obvious you don't try_

Maybe it was the way he put emotion in his voice, or the way that he made the music come to life. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the place, or they were just caught up in the moment. But suddenly they all forgot that this was some school project they had to do. They forgot that they were strangers and didn't know each other. In that moment they became something so much more. They weren't some nobodies, or popular, or punks, or geeks, or any label someone put on them. They weren't worried about their parents, or their grades, or what their friends would think, or anything like that. They didn't need to. Because in that moment the only thing that mattered was sitting there, letting the music feel their pores, just being.

And the silent thought that ran through all their heads was, maybe they had a chance.

* * *

><p><strong>In case you were wondering, The song is called Homesick and it's by Catfish and the Bottlemen. Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, and favored my story. It means a lot, really it does. :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you everyone! Here is a new chapter for you! Enjoy :)**

"Ash, honey? Can I please talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?" Delia Ketchum asked her son in a firm, but caring tone. Delia looked very young for a women in her 40s. Her auburn hair is always tied back in a low ponytail, making her daily routines easier. There's a hint of youthful mischief in her golden eyes, but they show compassion and motherly pride for her son. She owns the local diner in town that Ash sometimes works at when she needs help. That's how he helped get Misty and May jobs. Delia is the head cook and only a couple of trusted employees know her recipes.

"Just a sec mom! I'm finishing replacing the oil in my car!" He yelled from inside the garage. Ash took pride in his beat up old truck. Ol' Blue, as he calls it, or rather her, has been his trusty car for years now. Misty often tells Ash what a wreck it is, but it gets the job done and runs like a champ...most of the time anyway. He wiped the sweat from his brow with an old rag, and looked down at his shirt. It's ruined. The once white fabric is completely stained. Luckily it was an old shirt. The bottom of it is frayed and tattered. He used to have to mend his shirts when he was younger. Back when his father had left them, he had took nearly everything, leaving Ash and Delia to pick up what little was left and start anew. Delia's business was just starting out and Ash had to work overtime to help his mother. His grades hadn't been the best back then. Ash also was able to help out around the house with his knowledge of repairing things. The cooking was done by Delia, the handyman jobs by Ash, and finally the cleaning done by Delia's pokemon Mr. Mime. They weren't the most functioning trio, but it was all they had. Ash walked through the kitchen door, and proceeded to lean against the island.

"Did you finish?" She passed him a glass of lemonade from the fridge. Delia made the _best _lemonade.

"Yeah. It's all ready to go."

"Okay," she smiled at him, her eyes crinkling," Ash, honey. I need to ask you for a favor."

"Sure mom, anything."

"It's just that, Daniel is coming over tomorrow night for dinner, and I would like you to be here." Ash almost dropped his lemonade. _Daniel? _Ash inwardly groaned. Daniel was Delia's so called boyfriend. He was apparently charming, and charismatic, and all these other adjectives that just made Ash want to barf. Ash had refused to meet him fearing that he would lose his lunch. He looked down at the table, avoiding his mother's eyes.

"Oh."

"I know that you don't like him Ash. But could you please do this for me? Just once?" He sighed. Ash supposed he could tolerate one dinner with him. But only one.

"Fine. But can I invite Misty?" She pursed her lips.

"I suppose so. If you two behave yourselves. What about May?" Ash shook his head.

"She has some art show she's going to."

"Okay. Misty it is then. Now go up and get ready for bed. You have school tomorrow."

"All right. Night mom, love you."

"I love you too Ash." Ash walked up the carpeted staircase, turning off into his room to call Misty. He would need a lot of help surviving tomorrow night.

* * *

><p>"Wait wait wait, what's his name again?" Misty asked Ash as they talked together on the phone, her legs pulled up on her bed crisscross apple sauce. Her toenails were painted a dark blue color. She wiggled them admiring her work. In the background, her music was blasting, the heavy sounds echoing throughout the house. She loved pissing off her sisters.<p>

"Daniel. It even sounds horrible!" He replied, his voice clearly disgusted. She smirked and leaned against the backboard of her bed. The bedspread resembled the ocean, the soft waves, blue and calming. Her walls were painted a light yellow color which reminded her of the beach, but it was hard to see with all the posters adorned on her wall. Her desk was neat and organized, but her closet was a mess the clothes splattered around the floor and on the shelves. A dart board with ash's face was pinned on the wall. She threw one. _Bulls eye, _she thought, cheering. Misty wrinkled her nose at the thought of the name.

"Eww. Where did she even meet this guy?"

"Heck, I don't know? I just really don't want to meet he guy. He sounds like a prick."

"Well obviously Delia wants you to, at least give him a chance." She heard him groan on the other end.

"You don't get it, Mist. What if he tries to act all fatherly towards me? I don't think I could handle that." She frowned. Misty knew about Ash's family issues. His dead beat father left him and Delia to fend for themselves. He took all of the money too. Misty wasn't sure if he was a trainer or what, but he left them for dead without a word. It made her blood boil.

"I don't think he knows you enough for that. But you never know, the might be nice. You might actually like him."

"I doubt that."

"Well, what does he do for a living?"

"I have no idea."

"What does he look like?"

"I don't know! I don't care!"

"Well, how long has she been dating him?"

"I don't know? Six months?" Misty's eyes widened.

"Hang on, your mother has been dating this guy for half a year and you don't know anything about him? Ash! No wonder she wants you to meet him! God, you don't even know him. You can't just judge him!"

"Why not? You judge people all the time!" She scoffed, crossing her arms. Not that he could see or anything.

"Yes but I have proof!"

"Oh really?" She could almost hear him smirking at her. Oh how she _loathed _him.

"Yes really!"

"Ok why do you hate Melody so much? You claim she's one of the biggest bitches in the school. She's nice to me." Misty growled at the thought of her. She threw another dart at the board, this time imagining it was Melody. It hit her right on her prissy upturned nose.

"There are a million reasons Ash. One, she's a complete bitch towards May! I mean Mew, they like terrorize the poor girl! Not to mention that in middle school, I was alone at lunch time since you and May had it at a different time, and you know what happened? I tried sitting next to her because of course I was clueless towards the social classes of the damn school, and she laughed at my face. She laughed at my fucking face, pushed me away and made me land on my tray of food! The whole lunch room laughed!" She scowled some more. Not to mention that she constantly flirts with Ash right in front of her. It makes Misty's stomach feel sick. Why can't she do it when Misty isn't around to witness the barf fest?

"Okay okay I agree she's a bitch. Well what about other people? You judged Dawn before we met up with her and the others for the project. She turned out to be nice!" Misty shook her head at Ash's optimism.

"Ash you really don't get it, do you? You think that tomorrow at school all of us are going to be best buds? That we will all just suddenly eat lunch together, and hang out as one big happy family? No. Nothing is going to change. Dawn and Gary and Drew are going to continue sitting with their preppy group of friends. Dawn isn't going to try to talk to May and I like we are the best girlfriends ever! Gary isn't going to go up and brofist you. Drew isn't going to call May up and invite her into his car again or anything like that. Leaf isn't going to get her head up out of the books she reads and talk to us. And Paul sure as hell isn't going to consider us friends. We met up for a project that was _required_. When this all blows over nothing is going to change. We will all go back to our normal lives. Can't you see that?" She said, her words filled with malice. It might have hurt Ash's feelings, sure. But Misty was _bitter. _And at that moment she just didn't give a damn.

"You don't know that, they could change." Misty grew angrier.

"Why do you want them to so much?"

"Because, because...I don't know, okay? It's just I don't understand why we can't all be friends Misty. We all go through the same shit. We're all just humans. Maybe I'm crazy, but when we were all at the pizza place and Dash came on the stage, it was like all of our bodies were in sync. It was like, we all experienced that same out of body experience. I _felt _something. It made me think that maybe this was supposed to happen ya know? We were all meant to have met. I felt something _with _all of them, Mist. Who knows though. We all are going our separate ways when we graduate anyways. I'll be traveling here throughout Kanto, May might be going to Hoenn, and you still haven't told me where you're going. I just thought that if we knew more people, we could all be allies in the real world. We could _know _somebody. I don't like being alone Misty. I really don't." She frowned. A shuffle was heard on the other end.

"I just don't know Ash."

"Yeah well, I guess I don't either. I got to go, my mom's yelling at me to go to bed. So you're up for tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Okay bye."

"See ya."

The click was heard, and the line went dead.

* * *

><p>Gary was in his weight room, trying to clear his mind with exercises. But every time he thought about her, his concentration went askew. He almost dropped the dumbbell on himself. The blush rose to his skin. He needed some water. <em>Damn it Gary, snap out of it<em>, he thought to himself. He couldn't believe it. A damned girl was messing with his mind. He was supposed to make _them_ go all jelly legged, and red in the face, not the other way around! He groaned. What was the world coming to? The memory raced through his mind again.

* * *

><p>(Flash back)<p>

Everyone had just exited the pizza place. Misty, May, and Ash had drove off, Paul had left on his motorcycle, Drew took off in his ride, and Dawn left on her bike. This left Leaf and him. He caught up to her.

"Can I offer you a ride?" He had said, trying out his best wink. Okay so he was shamelessly flirting with her. He didn't care. Despite the fact that she was quiet and a little bit nerdy, Gary couldn't deny the fact that Leaf was good looking. _Really _good looking. She had long legs, soft looking hair, and a really pretty face. She was also kind of scary and dangerous, especially when she yelled at him, but somehow that made her look ten times hotter in Gary's opinion. She played hard to get sure, but he knew she'd be worth it. His stomach tied in knots when she looked at him. Bright green eyes tearing into his own, full pouted pink lips, a soft looking complexion. She was honestly breathtaking.

"Why the heck would I get into a car with you?" She replied back.

"Well, er, because," she raised an eyebrow at him, "because who wouldn't want to get in a car with _The Gary Oak_?" He mentally cursed. So lame!

"Me."

"Wait!" he grabbed her wrist pulling her towards him, "please? I promise I won't try anything. I just don't think it's a good idea letting a girl walk home all by herself. The gentlemen in me says I can't let you do that." She snorted.

"I think I'll be fine." He sighed. He wasn't the most patient person out there, plus it was getting dark. He grabbed her and pulled her to him bridal style.

"Sorry Leafy, but there's no way you're walking home alone in the dark." She punched his chest and screamed.

"LET ME GO JACKASS! I'm pretty sure this counts as kidnapping!" He plopped her into the front seat. And got in himself.

"Come on, let's go." She crossed her arms.

"I could get out right now you know!"

"Sure."

"Don't think I won't!"

"Come on Leaf. I'm not a jerk." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If I'm late home, I'm blaming you!" His face lit up. He started the engine.

"So where do you live?"

"Ivy Street." They didn't drive for too long. Gary attempted to make conversation to her, but she was somewhat distant. He did manage to make her laugh a couple of times though. She pointed to the house she lived in and he parked in her drive way. Her house was simple and wooden, with a large willow tree planted in the soil to its right. There was a small swing on one of the branches.

"You know we live pretty close to each other."

"Thank you for that valuable information." She rolled her eyes.

"Well I guess this is goodbye."

"You guessed right." Leaf gave him a half smile and scooted towards the door to open it. Her sweater lifted up in the back, and Gary could have sworn he saw an ink mark.

"Is that a tattoo?" Her hands flew to her sweater covering it up. The back of her neck went red. She faced him with wide eyes, her mouth agape.

"No! It's nothing!" He smirked at her.

"Wow Leafy, I didn't know you were that kind of girl. What's it of anyways?" Her face went through ten different shades of red. She stumbled out of the car and slammed his door. "See you tomorrow then?" She flipped him the bird, and proceeded to slam her front door. He chuckled.

* * *

><p>Gary groaned again. Thinking about her made his heart beat faster. Gary always kept his cool sure, but in reality he was a nervous wreck. Leaf just had that effect on him. Not only was she smart, and sweet, and quirky she was also fun and from what Gary could tell, secretly wild. He wondered what the tattoo stood for. He thought about her some more. Leaf may have forgotten, but he knew her from middle school. Ever since he first ran into her, he had never gotten her out of his head. Now it was senior year. If he didn't try to get her now, she would be gone. Determination was all around Gary. He would ask Leaf out! He would!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much everyone, especially the reviewers. Lisitair, n00dlemporium, MasteringAMuggleLife, and Quartzclaw. It means a lot. Oh and good news! This chapter is the longest I have written! ^-^ I'm getting better! Please enjoy and happy reading!**

* * *

><p>Dawn drummed her fingers along the edge of the wooden desk, listening to her teacher drone on and on about how Kanto was founded and colonized. She cocked her head to the side letting the soft strands of midnight blue hair fall leisurely over her shoulders, tickling the back of her neck as they descended. She discretely smelled her wrist where the vanilla scented perfume barely lingered. She had put a paucity of it on that morning trying to be subtle, but now just regretted it. Her blue eyes flicked to the clock above the teachers head. <em>Come on, <em>she thought to herself, _just a little more. _She looked at the others throughout the classroom and knew that they were all thinking the exact same thing.

"Psst, Dawn," her friend, Brianna, whispered to her from her seat. Dawn waited for the right moment, when her teacher wasn't looking, to whisper back.

"Yeah?"

"Lucas wanted me to pass on a message to you." Brianna's eyes glinted. She loved a good gossip, which was why she was always found with the latest copy of the school newspaper. Her auburn hair was cut in a short but cute manor, the dress she wore less revealing than what most of the girls at the school got away with. Brianna was very nice, but could act very snobbishly to those she deemed unworthy.

"About what?" Brianna smiled again, this time showing off her set of pearly white teeth. She passed Dawn a note.

"I hope you don't mind, but I already read it." Dawn was unfazed, she didn't expect anything more from Brianna. She opened it square by folded square. The note was written in soft boyish handwriting.

_Dawn, _

_Your beauty surpasses any flower_

_Never ending like April showers _

_And while I long for the sun on cold dark days_

_Looking at you makes it feel less far away _

_Will you be my sunshine? Yes_ No__

_-Lucas_

Dawn looked back at Brianna's smug face. She winked. Dawn smiled wearily back. The gesture was sweet, and Dawn couldn't help but smile to herself. It was such a middle school way of asking someone out, but nice nonetheless, even if Lucas wasn't the most skilled poet out there. Many girls in the school would kill to be with Lucas. He had those boyish looks that girls went crazy about, and a sensitive personality, not to mention the star of the school's basketball team, he was an all-around great guy. So why wasn't she jumping at the chance to check the yes box? Lucas was nice and charming, not like other guys at this school. A mental image of Paul jumped into her mind. _Paul, _she mentally growled. That guy was just trouble! Not to mention rude. Everytime she would make conversation with him, he would blow her off. Flat out ignore her. If she could only find a way to make him talk to her, or better yet smile. _He probably has a pretty nice smile. It might make his face less rough. Not that he isn't good looking already. I mean, he is pretty muscular, and tall, and Arceus those eyes! Stormy and saturnine. Ooh vocab word! Wait...did I just say that Paul was good looking? Wait why am I thinking about Paul? Why is Brianna looking at me like that? _Dawn stopped her endless thoughts to look in her direction.

"What?" She asked her, tuning back into the real world.

"You had a dreamy expression on your face Dawn! Already imagining future dates with Lucas I see, I knew you two would go well together! You're so lucky, all of the guys want to be with you! I wish I had someone...like Drew." She let out a sigh. Dawn simply sweat dropped. Brianna has been after Drew since sophomore year. Drew's a little uncomfortable about it, and asks Dawn to keep her away from him. Dawn never understood why Drew didn't like Brianna. She was very cute. Dawn just guessed she didn't know much about love. She shifted her thoughts to the green haired teen. Who would Drew like? As far as she knew, Drew had had only one serious relationship. Even that was a little bit fuzzy in her mind. _I wonder what happened with May in him in his car. Why didn't he offer me a ride? He only asked May. _She smiled. Was it possible that Drew Hayden had a thing for May? It would be rather cute. They'd make a great couple. But then something else hit her. Something horrible. Her eyes went wide, and a look of repulsion fell across her face. She had been thinking about Paul, with a dreamy expression on her face. Dawn screeched.

"I WAS NOT THINKING ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!" Brianna looked at her in fear.

"Wh-what?" She said in a voice as small as a pichu. The teacher glared daggers at Dawn. If looks could kill, Dawn would be buried 10 feet under.

"Miss. Berlitz, if you feel that class time is a place for you to run your lips than you can head straight down to the principal's office! Or better yet, have a detention." Her icy voice cut into Dawn, causing her to sit lower in her seat. Today was just not going her way.

* * *

><p>If Leaf were being honest, she would tell you that she was scared of Jessie. No, <em>terrified <em>would be the better word. Whenever Jessie got mad you had better start running, and fast, because if you didn't it you would forever regret it. She wouldn't even tare you down with her fists like some people would. No, she had worse ways. She'd kill people with her words. Whether it was a rumor to be started, or a story written in fine print, Jessie would obliterate you and all it would take would be simple phone call or type of a key board. Leaf was paranoid about it. Today, Jessie was wearing her hair in a tight bun, not a single red piece of hair astray. Her black glasses and high collared shirt made her look about ten years older. That was no compliment. The bright red lipstick she wore didn't do much to enhance her features either. Jessie would be fairly attractive sure, if she wore clothes fit for someone her age, or if she didn't wear a scowl on her otherwise delicate features. Every time she passed Leaf's computer she bristled.

"Ahem. Leaf, any news lately? Anything I can sink my teeth into?" Jessie asked her, the honey filled voice almost too sweet for leaf's taste.

"Well I..." Leaf attempted.

"Any news on that group you were working with?" It was like Jessie was desperate for her daily dose of gossip induced lies. Leaf resisted the urge to dump her cup of coffee on her. She wondered, absentmindedly, if Jessie would melt.

"Not yet. We've only met one time, and hardly even talked." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Jessie did not look happy.

"Listen twerp! You promised me you'd get me information. I didn't expect you to take so long! We need to be up to business! On time. Our readers crave these stories! You wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?"

"No but it's harder than it looks!" Jessie sighed and sat against the wooden desk, one leg crossed over the other. She waited until Leaf made eye contact with her to speak.

"Trust me Leaf, I know _all_ about how hard it is to publish a story. But I, unlike you, work my butt off trying to accomplish it. I don't stop until I finish it. However, since not everyone can be as amazing as me, I guess I could give you a little leeway. I'm giving you until Monday to produce a new story. We have to be ahead of Cassidy and her reject paper! Understand?" Leaf gritted her teeth. Jessie was so pretentious. She only wanted a story up so fast to beat her stupid rival Cassidy. Forcing down her anger she managed a nod.

"Crystal." She was going to have to spend a lot more time with them, even if it killed her.

"Good." Jessie walked away, her black heeled boots clicking loudly. Leaf sighed and drained the rest of her coffee. She was really regretting facing the group last hour. Mainly because she would have to face Gary and his stupid smug looking face. Her cheeks burned at the thought of the last night. He had almost saw it! Her hand instinctively pulled down her shirt a little more. She shouldn't be embarrassed of it, she did love her tattoo. It was just personal, and he wouldn't understand. Something's are just better left unsaid. Was it so bad to keep something to yourself? Leaf liked her private lifestyle. It was just her and her mother living in the wooden ivy covered house. Serene and calm. She didn't need anybody else. She didn't want anybody. The bell rang alerting her of the class's end. She shouldered her messenger bag. It looked like she was going to have to work overtime.

* * *

><p>Lance's class was held in it's normal room this time. The first half Lance had given them a lesson about sending a message. How the sender sends a message to the receiver, and all that jazz. Pretty boring to be honest. Once he was done they had split up into their groups again. The eight of them went to the back corner of the room. Misty sat in the middle of May and Ash, their little trio sitting against the radiator. Paul leaned against the wall, looking bored and distant as usual. Gary and Drew sat in chairs next to eachother, their bodies blocking off any view from the front whiteboard. Dawn sat on the table, her boot clad feet swinging rythymically. Finally Leaf saw crisscross applesauce on the floor in between Ash and Drew.<p>

"So I was thinking," Drew said earning everyone's eyes, "that we do something again this weekend. I personally just want to get away for a day, so why not drag you lot with me? Besides we could use the bonding or whatever. So any ideas?" Truth be told, Drew really didn't want to spend a weekend at his house with his father being home. He was still tipped off from what had happened. Drew did earn his car back, but only to go from school and back in it. That didn't stop his hate from worsening. Misty spoke up.

"Actually, I do know something we could do." Her mouth formed into a sly smirk. She leaned against the radiator, her arms above her head.

"Sure, say it."

"There's this festival going on down by the beach. It's gonna have a bunch of trainers there battling, and live music, and food, tons of stuff really. My sisters were talking about it. I think it's about a three hour drive from here. If you guys are up for it we could go. It's all day I think but the real party starts later on at night. What do you think?" Everyone nodded.

"Sounds fun!" May encouraged, a smile forming on her face.

"Yeah, I think that's perfect! We might catch some hot beach babes there too." Gary smirked, already imagining the events that could unfold. The girls rolled their eyes. It was fall, they doubted any girls would be caught in a bikini but decided not to mention that to Gary.

"Yeah, whatever makes you wanna come, Gary. Anyway I'm definitely up for it." Leaf said, smiling at Misty for her idea.

"Hold up," Paul interjected, "you want me to be stuck in a car with a hyperactive ten year old, a narcissistic jackass who uses half a bottle of hair gel on one morning alone, a psychotic maniac, and a girl who doesn't know how to shut her lips no matter how many times you scream it to her!? You got to be kidding me." Gary gasped.

"My hair is all natural!" He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly offended. The others decided to let the comments go.

"Paul, I know we aren't the best group of people out there, but come on. It might be fun! If everyone bothers you too much, you can just plug a pair of earphones in. Just try and spend a day with us." May told him, trying her best to keep everyone together.

"Fine." He grunted. She smiled thankfully at him.

"Okay, so who's driving?" Dawn asked, looking at everyone for their input.

"Well considering the fact that all of the girls don't have cars, they won't be able to. Paul just has a motorcycle so he's out of the picture. Drew's a bitch. So that leaves Ashyboy and I!" Gary said, a smug look adorned on his handsome face. Drew's eyes widened.

"There is no way in hell we're letting you drive!"

"And why not?"

"Um because the last time I was in a car with you I almost died! Plus, you almost ran over Leaf!" Gary waved his hand in a nonchalant kind of fashion.

"She's fine. I already drove her home last night and she was perfectly safe!" Leaf glared at him, she couldn't believe he told them they went in a car together. Knowing Gary's reputation they'd expect the worse!

"It doesn't matter there's no way I'm getting in a car with you, or risking the lives of everybody else!"

"Then ride with Ash!"

"Hold it!" Misty cut in, silencing the two of ten with a heated glare, "I'm deciding who drives! Gary I know I've only had the pleasure of meeting you once, but even I wouldn't be stupid enough to let you drive. If my memory serves me right, you were the idiot who ran over my skateboard last year, that thing cost me quite the amount of money you know! Plus you almost killed me in the process! If anyone is driving it will be Drew and Ash!"

"What!?" Gary yelled. Her fiery gaze cut into him once again, stopping any further protests. He pouted in his seat. Drew smiled triumphantly, until realizing that he wasn't actually allowed to drive his car. He'd have to convince his father.

"So Saturday it is then." May chirped from her seat, giving Ash a high five for good measure. Dawn paled.

"Wait, Saturday? But I have detention." She said, her eyes filled with worry. Misty smiled like she knew all the answers in the world.

"Congratulations Dawn, you decided to join the club! But you needn't worry, I have a plan for that too. Everyone just remember to be at the school at 9:00"

* * *

><p>Ash and Misty were in Delia's kitchen doing their best to collect the items needed to set the table with. Delia had gone all out, cooking up a meal fit for a king. There was a huge roast in the oven, the smell floating through the air, mouthwatering, baked potatoes, green beans, salad, and hot bread rolls all spanned out along the length of the dining room table. It had looked like a picture straight out of a cook book. Misty and Ash placed a fork and a knife at each plate, trying their hardest not to sneak a bite of the food. Last time Ash had tried taking a roll, his mother had slapped his hand with the wooden spoon of death. Now Mr. Mime was on watch duty, his heated gaze cutting into the two of them.<p>

"Ash, let's get out of here before we regret it! Misty whispered to him, smiling nervously at the mime pokemon. Ash nodded vigorously, and the two of them made their way towards the living room. They picked the exact moment that Delia had come down the stairs. The two of them almost had to do a double take. Delia was clad in a long black skirt that fell to the floor, apair of wedges adorned on her feet. She wore a white top with a belt separating it from the skirt, and around her neck was a simple gold necklace. She put on her earrings as she descended. Her auburn locks of hair were thrown up into a pretty bun with strands of hair framing her face. The scent of perfume drifted down with her. She smiled at the two of them, her eyes crinkling with delight.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked them with hope in her eyes.

"You look great Mrs. K!" Misty commented, giving her a thumbs up. It was nice to see Delia dressed up for a change, she must really like this guy. Ash was silent. Misty looked over at him and elbowed him in the gut.

"Oomph! Err, you look nice mom." He glared at Misty, holding his side. _Girls are so violent, _he thought to himself. Delia smiled wider and ran up to hug her boy.

"Oh Ashy! You have no idea how happy I am. I'm so excited for the two of you to meet! Daniel is really a nice guy and I'm sure the two of you will really hit it off!" She gushed, shaking Ash from side to side.

"Ugh, mom. Your smushing me!"

"Oops," she let go of him with a sheepish look on her face, "sorry Ash. Misty thank you for coming, someone needs help us eat all this food!"

"Any time Mrs. K! You know I'd never pass up a chance to eat your cooking!" She said grinning.

"Please Misty dear, I've told you a thousand times, call me Delia! And thank you." The timer dinged on the oven altering Delia that the roast was done. She ran off to get it out of the oven.

"Wow Ash, I feel way underdressed now. Your mom really went all out." Misty remarked, glancing down at her pair of jeans and blue T-shirt to emphasize her point. Ash scoffed.

"I don't know why she's trying to impress this guy so much. He can't be that great."

"Ash, come on your being ridiculous. Girls always dress up on dates, it's nothing out of the ordinary."

"Oh please, this is hardly a date. It's at our house! Besides not all girls would dress up. You wouldn't." Misty narrowed her eyes at him, her tanned arms crossed over her chest.

"You don't know that! Maybe I would dress up."

"Ya, right. The day I see you in a dress is the day I admit defeat! Besides you aren't like that."

"Like what? A _girl?_"

"Well...I mean..."

"What are you suggesting Ketchum!?" Her fist curled around his shirt, pulling him closer to the proximity of her fist. He gulped, his face getting redder from the closeness.

"Nothing! You _are_ a girl! I'm just saying that you don't act like one!"

"What!?"

"No that's not what I meant! I mean, you just aren't girly or whatever!" He held up his hands to his face trying to block any upcoming punches.

"You are hopeless." She released him and stomped off in the direction of the kitchen.

"Misty!? Come on what did I say!?" He sighed and fell onto the couch in defeat. Why were girls so complicated?

* * *

><p>May felt out of place at the art exhibition she was attending. The black dress she wore, which had seemed like a good idea at the time, was starting to make her uncomfortable. It was shorter than she was used to, about up to her mid thighs, and the open back did nothing to help her uncertainty. Her mom had told her how lovely she looked, but made sure her daughter was out of the house before her father was able to see. That only emphasized May's point. She was already longing for her pair of converse instead of the heels that she could barely walk in. Her hair, which had took her a painstaking hour to do, was starting to uncurl as well and no amount of hairspray could ever fix that. She felt like a wreck. The painting that she had done was hanging on a display beside the others, a judge was going around to decide the winner of the competition. May had no idea that she was going to enter the painting when she did it, but her mom had encouraged her to. It was of the willow tree by the park. May managed to fix what had been ruined by her demon of a brother, Max. All was well though, since he had apologized to her by giving her the last cookie in the cookie jar. Sometimes her brother wasn't so bad.<p>

"May!?" Said a familiar, surprised voice. Her heart stopped. It just _had_ to be Drew. Her face burned. Honestly she didn't know why she was so surprised. His eyes took in the unfamiliar sight before him, as she grew increasingly nervous under his gaze.

"Drew! Uh, what are you doing here?" She panicked. For a second he couldn't really speak, still staring at her with wide eyes. She waved a hand in his face, shaking him out of his trance. When he recovered, he put on his bet smirk.

"Well clearly I'm here for the art show. Wow June your observation skills get better everytime I see you!" She glared, all nervousness disipitated.

"I knew that jerk! I mean I wasn't expecting to see you here is all. I didnt even know you painted." She tried to ignore the fact that he looked really good in a suit. _Really _good. He chuckled to himself.

"I don't, but my mom does. She paints a lot in her free time."

"Oh, which one did she paint?" He pointed to the display section behind her.

"That one of the rose. It's uh, her favorite flower." He looked kind of sheepish and May couldn't help but smile to herself. The painting was beautiful. It was of a lone rose lying against a table that was illuminated by the sunlight. The window, which caused the reams of light to enter, was broken, the shards of glass shattered upon the rose and table. She felt like she was staring at the real thing. Her breath caught.

"It's, amazing." The painting conveyed a whirlwind of emotions and May couldn't take her eyes off it. If she had the money she would buy it in a heat beat, but Drew's mom probably already had a hundred customers lined up. May was sure that she would get first place.

"Drew honey, who's your friend?" A melodious voice sounded. May turned to see one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen in her life. Her blonde hair was done up in an elegant due, her green eyes hypnotic and alluring. The dress she wore was shimmering and golden and fit her body perfectly. She was the type of woman you would see in a fashion magazine on the front cover, the kind that made everyone stop and look when she entered a room, she was the kind that you could never ignore, and the kind that May always felt self-conscious around.

"Mom, this is my friend May. May this is my mother, the one who painted the picture." Drew introduced the two of them. Drew's mother smiled at May and offered her an outstretched hand.

"It's a pleasure." May blushed and shook her hand. _Oh Mew, I am so going to embarrass myself in front of them! Ok just act cool, _May inwardly panicked.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you! I really like your painting. It's beautiful." She replied doing her best to start conversation.

"Thank you so much. It took ages to do but I was so happy when it came out. Do you paint?"

"Yes, actually, my paintings hanging up somewhere around here."

"May I see it?" May hesitated but eventually nodded. Her heart was beating ten times faster, and her hands began to get clammy. _Oh Mew no, she's gonna see it and think it's horrible! Compared to hers mine looks like something a kindergartner would do! What have I gotten myself into!?_ She led them to the display section where her painting lied. Already people were around it talking among themselves. May pointed to the painting, the big willow tree illuminated for all to see.

"Wow May," Drew remarked, "it's amazing". She smiled at him. She guessed others might see that, but all she could see was her mistakes. What may look like a minor thing to others was big in the eyes of an artist. She looked to Drew's mom who still had yet to speak.

"Hm," she said analyzing it, finally she spoke, "you really have an eye for beauty." She smiled at May. May's eyes grew wide. She thought her painting was good!

"Really? Wow thank you so much. You know, I guess one needs to when they plan on being a coordinator."

"Yes, a coordinator must see beauty. You know, I used to want to be a coordinator when I was a child. But I guess it wasn't meant to be. Mew works in mysterious ways, you know." She smiled warmly. Drew looked a bit shocked to say the least.

"You wanted to be a coordinator? You never told me that!" He stated, looking accusingly at his mother. She shook her head at them.

"You never asked. Well I'm going to go mingle, you two have fun," she said, and then to Drew, "don't let this one get away!" Drew blushed an intense shade of red and glared at her.

"Mom!" May was however oblivious to this, more focused on the fact that the two of them were now alone.

* * *

><p>Misty, and Ash sat opposite to each other at the dinner table, both of them restraining their hands from snatching at the food. Ash's hand, however, had other plans. It crept closer to the bread roll right in front of him. Before could slap it away, the doorbell rang.<p>

"Coming!" Delia yelled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks once again every body! Oh and I apologize in advance for my choice of song in this chapter. Happy reading! :)**

* * *

><p>Ash couldn't see what was happening from inside the dining room, so whatever was going on with Delia and Daniel was unknown. He heard his mom open the door and greet the guy, the unmistakable smooching sound emitting from beyond the doorway. Ash wanted to barf. He looked over at Misty and silently spoke to her. With their friendship, no words were needed to have a conversation. She saw his distress and offered him a reassuring smile and a good luck kick from under the table. He heard the clacking of Delia's heels, as the two of them appeared in the doorway.<p>

"And here's dining room." Delia told him, her hands latched onto his arm as she led him to where they were sitting. "Daniel, I would like you to meet my son, Ash." Daniel smiled at Ash and held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you." He said in a smooth crisp voice. Ash observed him for a moment, taking in the sight before him. Daniel was a tall man, with tan skin, and peppered colored hair. His eyes were warm, and brown, and from what Ash could tell trustworthy. The smile adorned on his face was toothy and happy, his teeth a clean white color. All in all, he looked like a nice man. But that didn't stop Ash from having a strong feeling of dislike for him.

"Likewise." Ash replied, accepting the hand shake. Daniel's eyes swept over to the redhead in the seat across from Ash.

"Oh, you didn't tell me you had a daughter."

"No, no," Delia assured him, "she's not my daughter. Misty's here for Ash. She might as well be a part of the family though, she's here much as he is." Misty laughed and held out her hand to him.

"Misty Waterflower. Nice to meet you." She told him, giving his hand a firm shake.

"It's a pleasure. So I take it that you're Ash's girlfriend?" Daniel said, cocking his head to the side. Ash and Misty went bright red.

"No way! We're just friends!" They both protested in unison, avoiding any eye contact with eachother to prevent further blushing. Daniel laughed.

"Oops, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I just figured that you would be after such a pretty lady." He said to Ash, teasing him. Ash glowered at the potatoes, he knew he didn't like the guy. Misty giggled at Daniel, and Ash restrained himself from doing something he would regret. His hands formed fists from under the table.

"Oh relax Ash, Dan is just messing with you. Now why don't we all sit down and eat?" Delia requested. No one could argue with that, especially when her cooking was involved. Daniel sat next to Ash, sitting opposite to Delia. All of them grabbed the portions that they wanted and passed the dishes along the table. They wasted no time digging into the food, making sure they complimented Delia on every dish. Conversation was scarce as they all engulfed their dinners. Once they began to get full, however, Daniel felt like there was a break to talk.

"So Ash," he started, "what school do you go to?"

"Kanto High." Ash replied, wiping his mouth with his napkin, and looking at him.

"And you're a senior now?"

"Yup, Misty and I are graduating this year." Misty nodded.

"It's about time too." She stated, placing down her silverware and joining in on the conversation. Delia smiled at Ash, getting all starry eyed.

"Oh my little boy is growing up so much! I still remember when he was ten years old. I had to constantly tell him to change his underwear, you know. Time goes by so fast." She remarked, earning a chuckle from Misty and Daniel, and a glare from Ash.

"Mom!" He groaned. He swore parents made it their job to embarrass their kids. Daniel decided to save Ash the embarrassment and change the subject.

"What do you plan on doing after you graduate?" Forgetting about his anger, Ash replied with exuberance.

"I'm going to become a Pokemon Master! It's always been my dream." Daniel smiled at such confidence. Ash didn't say he _wanted _to become a master, he said he was _going _to be one.

"You know, at one point it was my dream to become one too." Now he had Ash's attention.

"Really?"

"Mmhm. Truly."

"Well, what happened?" Daniel had a faraway look in his eyes, the kind that changed with each passing memory that flashed against his mind.

"A lot of things. You know, much has changed since I was on my journey." Ash nodded, a frown forming on his face. He knew all about the changes that were made to the league. Not to long ago a law was passed that said no kid under the age of 18 could go on their journey which replaced the system of sending ten year olds out. It was passed to avoid danger. Many kids were being killed, and injured because they didn't have the common sense to survive in the world of pokemon. Organizations like the Rockets were taking over and stealing pokeballs away from little kids. Starvation, hyperthermia, sickness, poisoning, killing, kidnapping, and much more were all taking a toll on the trainers. Now you had to have a degree if you wanted to go on your journey, and if you wanted your license.

Ash hated the rule. He knew that they were placed for a reason. This he had learned from his government class in 11th grade. There was just too many ignorant kids out there and the league felt that rules needed to be established to insure the safety of the children. So they would learn all about pokemon and their stats, abilities, natures, how to care for them, how to battle with them, how to connect with them, or how to breed them. Depending on what class you took, your journey would be decided. In this way, kids would be smarter when taking on the world.

"Yes I do. Kids used to be able to go when they were ten. Now we have to wait."

"Yes but it's for the best really."

"What was your starter?" Misty asked, now engrossed in the conversation. He smiled warmly at her.

"I had a charizard. She was a ferocious one too. Battled flawlessly."

"What happened to her?" He frowned, looking down at his now empty plate.

"Team rocket happened. I once was stupid, and ignorant, and thought I could stop them. I thought I could _save _people, prevent them from rising up. But I couldn't. I pay the price every day when I look beside me and Charla is gone. Sorry, Charla was her name." Delia frowned and took hold of his hand to offer it a squeeze. Ash looked down at the table. The mood hitting a sour note. He opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. My journey went kind of downhill after that. I lost the will to go on. When I was 18 I decided to settle down, start my own business. I own a dojo in town. But I deal more with the teaching, rather than the actual training. Trainers come and go, and I get to meet awesome new people. It's fun." Delia smiled at him wide taking this moment to bring up another matter.

"I see everyone is done with their plates. Dessert anyone?" She asked brightly. Even though everyone was full, the thought of dessert was too tempting to pass up. Delia went in the kitchen to fetch some. Ash turned to Daniel and looked him over.

"So you really like my mom, huh." He asked.

"Yes I do. She's one of the best things that has happened to me. Your mom is really something you know that?"

"Yes sir."

"I want you to know that I really love your mother. I know that this may be awkward for you, but I'm trying to make it less so. I promise you I'm not forcing anything on you. I know I can't expect you to look up to me or come to me if you have problems, but I want you to know that I don't mind doing so. Delia wants us to get along, so if it's not for me at least do it for her. So what do you say, will you give me a chance?" Ash looked at him for a moment, before casting a glimpse of Misty's encouraging face. He sighed.

"Yeah, sure. I can do that."

* * *

><p>Misty sat on the comforter on her bed, stretching out her legs from underneath her and kicking off her shoes. She had just came home from Ash's house, and wanted nothing more than to get some sleep for the night. Misty figured she better get out of her clothes first. She stripped out of her T-shirt, leaving only a tank top and pulled the hair tie out of her orange locks. After wresting with her jeans to get them off, she flopped herself back on the bed and fluffed up her pillow. Misty was ready for some shut eye. Sleep was one of Misty's favorite hobbies. She loved sleep. Her <em>body<em> loved sleep. The thing was, she was not a noctowl. She would often fall asleep at Ash and May's houses because of it. Misty just felt that it was better to wake up early with the whole day ahead of you than stay up late and miss it because you slept in. Besides, she would often go on morning jogs, or a quick swim, to get her brain working in the mornings. She needed her sleep.

Right as she closed her eyes, however, the strident sound of her cell phone ringing startled her awake. She groaned, groping for the phone on the night stand before checking the caller ID. It was May, and she guessed she'd better take it.

"Hello?" She said flatly, flipping over on her back to stare at the ceiling.

"Misty oh my Arceus, you'll never guess what just happened!" May replied instantly, her voice almost frantic.

"What?" Misty was not in the mood for guessing games. That, and she was a sucker for gossip. Not that May usually had much for her anyway, but she'd take what she could get.

"Okay," she tried to calm her voice down, "so I was at the art show minding my own business when all of a sudden Drew shows up from out of nowhere!"

"Hayden?"

"Who else!?" May's voice went higher.

"Okay okay, calm down May. Then what?"

"Well it wouldn't have been so bad, if I wasn't in that one black dress of mine!"

"The sexy dress!?"

"Yes the sexy dress! God it was so embarrassing, the open back and everything! I wanted to die."

"Um, okay so tell me again how that was a bad thing? I mean, you look great in that dress! If anything you scored some big points." She groaned from the other side of the phone.

"Misty you don't understand, this is Drew we are talking about! It was mortifying! Plus, I saw his freaking mom! Now tell me that's not weird? She was like insane Misty, like gorgeous. And then she saw my painting."

"Wait, why were they there in the first place?"

"Drew's mother paints. Not only was she like a model, she was a freaking artist! Misty I felt like such a loser!" Misty rolled her eyes at her friends' anxiety. May could be really level headed normally but when something worried her, she panicked. A lot.

"Okay keep going. What happened next?"

"Well nothing really. It was actually after that when everything went downhill."

"Hold up. Did something happen with you and Drew?"

"..."

"May?" Misty said accusingly, holding out the 'a' sound.

"Fine. We sort of...well we...he...well I -"

"Spit it out May!"

"He asked me to dance! There was a room where people went to dance in and eat at while they waited for the judges to confirm the winners, and there was a slow song playing, and one thing led to another thing and before I knew it I was dancing with Drew Hayden!" Misty bit her lip to prevent screaming out in happiness.

"Whoa whoa whoa. May that's great! Isn't it? Wait, do you have a thing for Drew?"

"I don't know! It was just really awkward, I'm pretty sure my face was as red as a Cherri berry! I was so embarrassed! I kept stepping on his feet during the dance."

"Well what else happened?"

"They announced the winners, and Drew's mom got second. I placed tenth and got a certificate and my picture taken. Drew congratulated me. But after that the event was over and everyone went home. Drew left with his mom, and now I'm waiting for my mom to pick me up."

"May this is such great news!"

"Yeah, well."

"I can't believe it May. One of the populars has a thing for you! If word got out about this, those girls would kill you! You've upset the whole balance of a high shool, and I love it!"

"Ok he does not have a thing for me, and also, that's not a good thing! They already hate me as it is, if they found out that I danced with Drew they would certainly make my life living hell. I don't need that!"

"May, you shouldn't give a fuck what they think! You have a chance with one of the hottest guys in school!"

"Hardly. Besides he probably only did that because I looked good in the dress, but I don't look like that every day. My mom forced me to wear a ton if make up too. Everything was different."

"Hey, come on now, don't give me that! May you are an amazingly beautiful and talented person. You caught his eye because of this. Not to mention the fact that you are real, not fake like those other girls that walk around the school. There's more to it than your appearance May. I don't want to ever hear you say that you aren't worth anybody's time, because they aren't worth yours! Now if you like Drew, go for it! Or better yet, make him come to you! Understand May?"

"I...I guess so."

"Trust me May. You deserve this." May sighed, as if the worry had left her body.

"Okay, so what happened at the dinner with you and Ash?" Misty sat back and told her, the story unfolding.

* * *

><p>Dawn sighed and played with the edge of her skirt, the ruffles sliding through her finger tips, as she waited at the school entrance. She had never gotten detention before, and the thought of having to spend a whole two hours in a cramped classroom did nothing to ease her tension. Misty had said she had a plan, but that only worried her more. What if it failed? Dawn didn't know Misty too well, but what Dawn could tell, she had the kind of attitude that said she didn't care too much about things. Misty was easy going, <em>too <em>easy going. If something bad were to happen to her, or another person, she would just let it roll off her shoulders. It would never unnerve her. That was dangerous, because if something were to happen with Misty's plan, they would all go down together, and Misty would just let it happen. At least, that was Dawn's impression of her.

She sighed and checked her watch for the hundredth time. Only three more minutes until she was allowed to go in. It felt like three hours.

"Yo Dawn!" She looked up to see a waving Ash coming towards her, Misty right beside him. It was about time they showed up.

"Figures you'd show up early to a detention." Misty said dryly, stopping to tie her shoelace when she reached her.

"I'm hardly early." Dawn retorted, her hands fiddling with her skirt again. She was feeling oddly out of place with the two of them, and she wondered if this was a usual thing for them.

Dawn, being the observant person she is, regarded them for a moment. Ash was wearing a pair of basketball shorts that hung loose on his body, the elastic of his boxers sticking out every time his shirt lifted up when he stretched. The shirt he wore was a plain and white, a top his head was a worn baseball cap. His black tresses poked through it. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Misty, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, ripped along the thighs and knees. On her feet were some old converse, the fabric ripped and splattered with dirt. Her torso was covered with a simple white tank top, and tied around her waist was her grey hoodie. Her orange locks were tied in a side pony, the bangs covering up her eyes. She blew them out of her face.

"So Misty," Dawn began, "you really think this master plan of yours will work?" Misty tilted her head at Dawn, a smile creeping onto her features.

"Trust me. I'm a pro at this. Ash and I have gone to this gig many times, you could say we are usuals. I know the ins and the outs of the system, and every possible solution. My plan will be flawless." The bell of the school sounded.

"Let's go!" Ash hollered at them, racing up the stairs. Dawn sweat dropped.

"He was way to much energy in the mornings." She stated. This was the first laugh Dawn had gotten out of Misty.

"Tell me about it. Don't worry though, we'll need his hyperness for the plan to work." Dawn raised her eyebrows, but didn't question it.

* * *

><p>Detention was held at the bottom level of the school. Pass the out of order vending machines, down the creaking stairwell, into the corridor under the bathrooms that always leaked, through the swinging double doors, and finally into the last classroom on the right. Dawn wrinkled her nose as they descended. It smelled horrible.<p>

"Rumor has it," Ash whispered to her as they began their descent, "that this is the floor where the cafeteria ladies catch our lunch." He made a critter like sound with his teeth and waved his fingers in Dawn's face. She squeaked.

"That's not funny! That's disgusting." She said to him, shaking her head. He laughed.

"What? Have you seen what they serve us? Might as well be." They finally reached their destination, and Misty opened the door. There to greet them was a skinny woman with big round glasses, and a pointy nose. She looked at them like they were trash.

"Hurry up and take your seats!" She barked at the three of them, pointing her claw like fingernails at their chests. Dawn quickly did as she was told, fearing for her life. Was Misty crazy!? How were they supposed to get passed this nutcase? Misty gave her a reassuring flick of her wrist, like she had everything under control. Dawn was not so comforted. It took around five minutes for the rest of the students to filter in, and take their seats. There wasn't much of them, about maybe three others in total.

"This is a slow day today," Misty whispered to her, "usually there's more."

"Quiet down!" the teacher screeched, her voice like claws on a chalkboard. No one dared to talk back. "For all of you fresh meat, my names Ms. Jennings. I will be watching over you brats until the end of the two hours. There will be no talking. I mean it! If I hear one sound out of your dirty mouths I won't hesitate to make you stay another four hours! Understand?" No one moved. Satisfied with that, she sat back down at her desk, and pulled out a book. Her beady little eyes, swept over the pages.

Dawn looked around the classroom at the others. Apparently in detention, you aren't allowed to do anything but sit and stare at your desk. Ash's leg was bouncing up and down, his fingers lightly tapping against the wood. Misty looked at him annoyed, but didn't say anything. She stared at the ceiling instead. How was Misty going to perform her master plan If they were doing nothing? The silence was bothering her too. Dawn was not a quiet person, and the urge to talk was taking a toll on her. She raised her hand. Ms. Jennings eyes snapped to Dawn dangerously.

"What do you want!?" She snapped. Dawn gulped.

"I was just wondering if I could pull out some work to do. It would be more productive than just sitting here." Dawn didn't see Misty's warning signs, or the flash in Ms. Jennings soulless black eyes.

"What's your name?" There was a hint of malice in her otherwise calm voice.

"D-Dawn."

"Well D-Dawn," she mocked, rising out of her seat, "you seem to be new here so maybe you haven't got the memo, but I'd be happy to inform you. In this class, we do not get to do work. In fact, you don't get to do anything! You earned this when you decided to disrespect this establishment. What are you in here for anyways? Did you get caught showing PDA? Were you dress coded? Did they find a blunt in your purse? Whatever you did I'm sure you deserved far worse than serving two hours of your life in here. In fact, you deserve worse! All of you brats deserve worse! Now sit down and shut up! One more person to talk and the whole class gets another hour!"

Dawn felt her face burn. Who was this woman anyway? She had no right to assume those things. Dawn was in here for yelling something out in class, not for such vulgar things! Dawn looked at Misty, who mouthed the word 'bitch' while pointing at Ms. Jennings. It wasn't much, but it did bring a smile to her face. Dawn saw Misty mouth another thing, but she couldn't quite make it out. Dawn saw a flash of metal from Misty's hands, discreetly Misty sent a text, before pocketing the phone again. Ash raised his hand.

"Now what!? I thought I told you to be quiet! What do you want?"

"May I please go to the restroom?" She looked at his face, Ash was squirming in his seat, his face bunched up like he was about to explode. She sighed loudly.

"Fine. But you get two minutes, no more!" He mumbled a quick thank you before springing out of his chair. Dawn's eyes could have been messing with her, but she swore she saw Ash wink.

* * *

><p>Ash sprang through the halls lightning fast. The plan was about to unfold. He took out his iPod and quickly made it into one of the tech classrooms. There waiting for him was Conway, a blue haired senior with large glasses and a devious smirk. He pushed his glasses up farther on his nose and looked at Ash.<p>

"You got the stuff?" He asked, awaiting his end of the deal. Ash gave a disgruntled sigh, but eventually passed the stuff to him. It was a rare poké trading card, the one that Ash had spent years trying to get. Misty owed him big time.

"There," Ash told him sharply, "you have your end of the deal, now I want mine." Conway chuckled at him and began to hook up Ash's iPod into the system.

"I can't believe you would give this away just to do this. A idiotic trade on your part. But I guess one will do what one must for love." Ash spluttered.

"This is not for love!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Okay, there. It's all hooked up, all we have to do is press play."

* * *

><p>Dawn couldn't believe what she was hearing. The sound of music blaring out of the loud speakers cut through the once quiet atmosphere, the sound echoing throughout the halls. She had to cover her mouth to stop from giggling. The music blared into their classroom.<p>

_FIRE UP THAT LOUD _

_ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOTS..._

_TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!? _

_TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!? _

_TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!?_

Ms. Jennings looked at them with a red face.

"Who is doing this!?" She demanded, slamming her fist on the table. "Whoever it is must turn it down immediately!"

_TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!? _

"Argh!" She screamed before bursting out of the classroom in rage. The room erupted in a fit of laughter.

"Ash, you genius!" Misty remarked in between her giggles.

"So this is the master plan huh?" Dawn asked her, trying her best to calm down.

"Oh this is just phase one. We aren't done yet."

* * *

><p>Ash scrambled through the hallways, banging on all of the lockers, trying to make as much sound as possible. When no one was looking he had snatched Misty's hoodie, before he asked to use the restroom. He placed the hood on his head so she wouldn't find out who it was. Now he had one mission: Stay out of sight and lure Ms. Jennings to demise. The loud screech of her voice cut through Ash's thoughts.<p>

"WHOEVER IS DOING THIS COME OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Ash yelped and picked up his pace, slamming on all of the lockers. He turned the corner where the next part of the plan was waiting for him. But something was wrong.

"Crap." He muttered under his breath. He sent a quick text to Misty alerting her of the predicament. The plan was to lure her into the wet floor zone, but they forgot that the janitors were really lazy. The floor was dry, not to mention mega dirty. Ash would have to improvise until Misty showed up. He rounded another corner. Ms. Jenkings was still on his tail. Ash belted out.

"I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS! TO CATCH THEM IS MY REAL TEST! TO TRAIN THEM IS MY CAUSE!" He pounded the lockers harder now, his knuckles turning red. He opened a janitor's closet where a million brooms and mops spilled out. was screaming like a banshee. _Misty had better hurry up soon, _Ash thought, as he began to sing louder.

* * *

><p>"Oh no," Misty said aloud as she read the text. Dawn peered over her shoulder trying to catch a glimpse.<p>

"What?" Dawn asked her, starting to worry. Misty sprang out of her seat rapidash fast.

"Come on, Ash needs our help. Looks like you'll be joining the business." Before Dawn could question it further Misty had sprinted out of the classroom. Dawn chased after her. Misty ran down the corridors, trying to find the wet floor zone. Just like Ash had said, they were dry as a bone.

Suddenly Dawn's ears picked up. Now, she had heard some wild things in her life but nothing was as odd as what she was hearing now. A remix of the song "Turn Down For What" was blaring through her ears. This one was sung by Ash Ketchum, accompanied by the overhead speakers.

_FIRE UP THAT LOUD_

_ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOTS _

"THE POWER THAT'S INSIDE!"

_FIRE UP THAT LOUD_

_ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOTS _

"POKEMON! GOTTA CATCH THEM ALL! ITS YOU AND ME! I KNOW IT'S MY DESTINY"

_FIRE UP THAT LOUD_

_ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOTS_

_"_A HEART SO TRUE! OUR JOURNEY WILL PULL US THROUGH! YOU TEACH ME AND I'LL TEACH YOU! POKEMON!"

_TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!?_

Dawn almost died. She was brought back to the real world by Misty yelling at her to help her. Misty had found a mop and janitors bucket, and was doing her best to make the floors as slippery as possible. Now Ash was coming down the hallway.

"Dawn hide!" Misty hissed, as she pulled her to an empty closet. Right as Ash passed the doorway, Misty opened the door and pulled him right beside them. Ms. Jenkings did not expect that.

"What?" They heard her shriek, but it was short lived. She had hit the wet floor zone. Her arms waved as an attempt to keep her balance up, but she was already tipping back.

"Now!" Ash was pushed out once again, just in time to catch the falling teacher in the yellow mop bucket. As soon as her butt fell in, she was stuck. A tin bucket was then placed over her head to obscure her vision. Her screams were now muffled. He did not, however, take in account the fact that the floor was still slippery. The mop bucket was rolling now, towards the direction of the stairs. Before Ash could grab her, she and the yellow bucket fell. Dawn and Misty scrambled out of the closet just in time to see her hit the final step. They all cringed.

"Now what?" Dawn asked. Misty and Ash sent each other a sideways look, their mouths forming smirks.

"Operation jiggly puff bomb?"

"Operation jiggly puff bomb." Ash affirmed, reaching in his backpack to pull out said item.

"What the heck is that!?" Dawn asked, her eyes going wide at the sight of it.

"It's a jiggly puff bomb. Scientists helped make this bad boy to use against team rocket back in the day. Once the pin is pulled, it emits a jiggly puff's song which can put enemies in a sleep induced coma. It will wear off, don't worry. But it gives us enough time to get out of here."

"Where did you get that!?" Misty and Ash both looked at each other.

"Internet?" They both said. Dawn looked at them incredulously.

"But won't it put us to sleep too!?"

"Of course not. The plan, remember?" Misty pulled out a pair of earplugs and handed it to the two of them.

"Would you like to so the honors?" Ash asked Dawn, handing her the weapon. She looked at them like they were crazy, but eventually shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not." She pulled the pin and rolled the grenade down the staircase, right in front of Ms. Jenkings. It exploded.

* * *

><p>Ash, Misty, and Dawn rolled Ms. Jenkings into the classroom, dumping her in her seat. The others in the room had already left.<p>

"There," Misty said satisfied, "when she wakes up, she'll see the clock and think she just slept through the whole detention. Might even think this whole thing was a dream." Dawn couldn't stop the smile from forming on her features.

"You guys are geniuses! I can't believe we actually pulled that off!"

"And the best part is, Conway managed to block out the security footage. We'll get away scot free!" Ash cheered. The three of them all high fived.

"You know Dawn," Misty said, giving her a small smile, "you aren't so bad for a priss." Dawn smiled back.

"You aren't so bad yourself loser."


	10. Chapter 10

**So sorry for a late update but I was really stressed out with studying and tests! Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Lapiz14, TheeFirstEvil, QuartzClaw, n00dlemporium, and guess who. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Gary pulled up to the school in his black corvette, making sure to take his sweet time parking. Everyone else was already waiting outside of the school and they did not look too happy to see him. He stumbled out of the car, hanging on to the hood as if it was killing him to move, black shades adorned on his face, and a can of monster in his hands. He pulled the glasses down to look at the group.<p>

"Ugh, how do you guys wake up so early?" he groaned, before glancing nervously at everyone's pissed off expressions. Misty looked like she might explode. Gary sweat dropped. "What?"

"What?" she began, "I'm sorry, did you just say what? You make us wait for your affluent ass for fifty minutes and all you have to say for yourself is what!? We could have been on the road by now! We've all had to pass the time by listening to Ash attempt a poor impression of Principal Brown. Paul almost killed him! And you have the _audacity_ to say WHAT!?" Gary looked at her for a long time, as if his brain had yet to process the information.

"You said meet at, what, ten?"

"I SAID MEET AT NINE!" He backed away from her proximity before taking a swig of the energy drink. It might be his last.

"Well then I'm fashionably late." Misty's eye twitched. A million emotions flashed across her face as if deciding which one to pick when she was going to kill him. Finally she gave a disgruntled sigh of frustration. She kicked a rock, sending it flying and stalked off to cool herself down, that or to plan Gary's murder. The others glanced wearily at each other, not sure how to respond. Leaf shook her head at Gary.

"You look like an asshole in those glasses." She said pointedly, walking off to retrieve Misty.

Now it was Drew's turn. "Wow Gary, such a ladies man. I mean, you haven't even been here for five minutes and you've already pissed off half of them." Gary glared at his so called 'friend'.

"Fuck off!" He then proceeded to drain the can of monster, toss it over his right shoulder, and stalk off in the direction of Leaf and Misty.

"Hey that's littering!" May called to him, but to no avail.

* * *

><p>Gary was pissed, fuming, aggravated,<em> unbelievably <em>ticked off that he was sure he was going to pop. He was going to apologize. He was going to say the forbidden S-O-R-R-Y word, not just to anyone but to a mew-awful _girl. _Gary never apologized. Never. He was too good for that. Why should he be the one to say he was sorry when it clearly wasn't his fault? But then they all just had to look at him with their expressions, the guilt tripping looks that made him feel bad, like he was some kind of asshole or something. Leaf had made that pretty clear to him. He gave an aggravated sigh, before rounding the corner of the school and setting his eyes on Misty and Leaf. He hoped his glare wasn't too prominent.

"Look," he began, trying his best to sound charming, "Misty I didn't mean to mess up your plans today. I honestly thought that you had said ten. Plus, I mean, do you know how long it takes me to get my hair looking this good in the mornings? It takes a lot. I should have woke up earlier to get the wild beast tamed. Okay, what I'm trying to say is...I'm, er, well...sorry. Okay? I'm trying to say I'm sorry." Misty and Leaf stared at him with blank expressions.

"You are really bad at this, you know that?" Leaf deadpanned, wiping the apologetic perfect smile off of Gary's narcissistic face. Misty, however, smiled widely. In fact, her smile was happy, her cheeks turning a bright red rosy hue, innocent as a school girl. It was _too_ innocent.

"Gary, Gary, Gary, you don't have to worry. I mean, I totally forgive you!" She fluttered her eyelashes at him, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"Really?" He asked, hopeful. Her smile dropped.

"No."

"What?"

"Gary, do you know what I hate worse than flaky good for nothing lazy asses like you? I hate the flaky good for nothing lazy asses who _lie_ about things on top of it. Looks like you win both! Because, let's face it, we all know you don't care about his project. You don't care about the people in it. It's one thing to apologize and move on, but it's another thing to LIE ABOUT IT! I wanna hear the truth! Go one, tell me." She was close to him now, her heated glare tearing him down a couple sizes. _What does this girl want from me, _he thought, _I thought girls loved when guys say they're wrong? _Gary's eyes narrowed. He was already ticked off, and her face in his did nothing to stop it.

"Fine, you want to know what I thin? I don't give a fuck if I show up late to things. In fact, I couldn't care less! You are a pretentious bitch who thinks she's all high and mighty because she puts on that fake 'I'm too cool for you' image. Well ya know what? No one cares! I am not sorry your plan was ruined, or that you had to come here early to serve a detention. The reason I came to apologize was because, you were mad that I showed up late, and I acted like a jerk about it. I felt bad okay!? I'm not a complete asshole." Misty's face was glaring at him, but at a less dangerous intensity. Then, she really did smile. Not her fake overbearing predator smile, or the one her sisters taught her to use when trying to get a guy, a real genuine Misty smile. That satisfied, smirk that said everything was all right in the world.

"That, sounds more like a genuine apology coming from you. I know you don't care about this, to be honest I don't want to be stuck in a car with you lot either. But sometimes we got to make sacrifices. So, thank you for coming. Just, try to get here on time with everyone. You are a part of this team." He stared at her stumped. Was this girl even real?

"I, for one," Leaf said from the sidelines giving them both a half smile, "still think he's an asshole." Misty laughed.

"Me too, Leaf. Me too. You know you and me could learn to get along." She said, going over to stand by the brunette. Now Gary was on the sidelines, while the two girls conversed.

"Uh, what just happened?"

* * *

><p>Once the three of them returned, they were all ready to go. Gary still seemed a bit perplexed, but eventually just shrugged it off.<p>

"Finally, you guys are back!" May said already bored with having to wait.

"Yeah," Paul surprisingly joined in, "took you guys long enough. I didn't know when I signed up for this that there would be so much damn waiting."

"Relax guys, everything's taken care of. I just had to explain to Gary a thing or two. Hopefully, it managed to go in that thick head of his, instead of through one ear and out the other." Misty told the group, giving a sideways glance at the spiky haired teen. He groaned.

"I get it. Show up on time so I don't piss off half the group, and mainly Misty." He replied with a roll of his blue eyes.

"Eh, close enough. Now let's get on the road!"

"Who's riding with who?" Drew asked as he leaned against his prized car. Okay, so he wasn't supposed to be driving it. In fact, if his father found out that he had it, then there would be no way he could ever earn his trust back. That meant that he could never convince him to let him become a coordinator. That meant, his life would be ruined. However, Drew was feeling rebellious. How dare his father take his car away for saying what he wanted to do in life. How dare he say that coordinating was useless. How dare him! He had no right. Not one. Luckily for Drew, his father had an emergency meeting out of town and had to take a plane to Hoenn. The car was just sitting there in the garage. His father would never even know it went missing.

"Maybe the drivers should pick, since they are the ones who have to focus on the road," Dawn suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good idea," Leaf remarked.

"Okay, looks like our team captains are Ash and Drew then," May announced, as Misty pushed both of them next to each other.

"Great, now we're having a PE class," Paul mumbled under his breath.

"You can start Ash," Drew told him, already knowing who he was going to pick. Ash smiled wide, and pulled the redhead towards him.

"Misty!" he said exuberantly.

"There's a shocker," May said smirking at the two of them. Misty sent her a glare that said 'I know what you're thinking, knock it off!' May feigned innocence. However, her teasing was cut short as she heard her own name being called. "Wh-what?" Drew rolled his eyes.

"I said, 'I pick May.' Oh no wonder, I forgot your name is July. Okay I pick July!" Drew smirked at the brunette. She tried to glare at him, but her look of surprise was more prominent. She really hoped she wasn't blushing. May pressed a hand to her cheek, it was _burning_. And of course her mind had to jump to the previous night. By now, her face was a furnace. After walking over to where Drew was standing, making sure to stand at a distance where her heart wouldn't beat a hundred miles per hour, she was able to cool off.

Ash mulled over his options. His chocolate brown eyes found Dawn's and he smiled.

"Okay, I pick Dawn." He announced. Dawn, to everybody's surprise, looked elated. She bounded up to where Ash and Misty were standing and gave them both a wide grin.

"Hey guys!" She chirped.

"Wow," Gary said with a raised brow, "you spend one day of detention together and suddenly you guys are all best friends."

"Shut it Oak!" All of them said in unison, further exemplifying his point.

Drew looked at the rest of the group deciding who to pick next. The remaining people were Gary, Leaf, and Paul. To be honest, picking Paul would be nice, it probably would be pretty quiet too. But then again, he doubted that Ash would pick Gary, so that meant either way he was stuck with the annoying spike head. He might as well pick someone whom Gary could annoy instead of him. _Well, I feel bad for her, _he thought to himself scanning the remaining girl. Putting them together would cause hell. But it might also be pretty entertaining.

"I pick Leaf," Drew told the rest of the group. Leaf shrugged and went to stand over by May. Gary, however, looked almost hurt.

"You'd pick _her _over your best friend? Wait a minute, you'd pick two girls over me!? Isn't this nice to know." He complained, his face falling into that lillipup pout.

"Relax Gary, it's not the end of the world." Gary humphed. Finally, Ash made the last choice.

"Okay, Paul it is then!" Gary looked like he wanted to flip a table over. He was picked last!? Paul rolled his eyes at his antics, and trudged over to where Dawn was standing.

"Just great." Paul announced, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

It was confirmed. Drew would be driving Gary, Leaf and May, while Ash would drive Misty, Dawn and Paul. With that settled, they were ready to go.

"Well looks like we're set," Misty nodded to the group, "Drew just follow Ash's car. I'll be giving him directions to the beach anyways. We better hurry though, never know what traffics like." Everyone loaded their bags into the cars, and clambered in. Misty, of course, called shotgun, Paul and Dawn opting for the back. Gary would have sat beside Drew, but his eyes found their way to the long haired girl climbing in the back. He would let May sit up front, he had other plans.

* * *

><p>May was trying her best not to sneak glances at Drew while he was driving. Because if she kept looking at him, Gary or Leaf would see, and if Gary and Leaf saw then they would tell Drew, and If that happened then she would be mercilessly teased. She did not want that. Instead she focused her gaze on the scenery outside the window, to try and avoid thinking about him. But she was met with a strong feeling of déjà vu. She had been sitting in the same spot when they went to the pizza place together. She sighed. It was going to be a long car ride.<p>

The real commotion came from behind her. "I can't wait to get to the beach!" Gary exclaimed, rolling down the window to let the air flow through his locks. Not that he had long enough hair even to do that, but it still felt damn good. "Beaches mean babes. And I'm telling you, I'm ready to put on the Oak charm. They won't be able to resist me." Leaf snorted beside him.

"Yeah, right. As if any of them would want _your_ preppy ass." She quipped, looking up at him momentarily. She made a big show of rolling her eyes at him, before stuffing her nose back into the book she was reading.

"Why must you hurt me so?" He asked, clutching his heart in false agony. Drew glanced back at the two of them from his rear view mirror, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. She didn't answer, promoting Gary to tug the rather large novel out of her grip.

"Hey!"

"Well well well, what do we have here? What is Miss. Greene reading?" Her eyes flashed dangerously at him. When she wanted to be, she could be _really _scary.

"Give. The book. Back." Her voice was low, warning him, each phrase dangerously emphasized.

"Or what?"

"Or THIS!" She lunged at him, as far as she could go on the small space of the car. He held the book far out from her reach, a teasing smirk dancing across his features. His hand pushed her away from him, it being the only thing separating him from his death. He smirked at her struggle.

"Ooh, how interesting," he began to read dramatically, "_'His eyes were like dark pools of ink, captivating, and alluring, the irises a kaleidoscope of color. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tare her gaze away from the mysterious stranger. And yet, it was almost as if she had knew him her whole life. She wondered how his lips would taste against hers, or how his strong looking arms would feel wrapped protectively around her waist.' _Wow Leafy, I didn't know you were into romance novels." Leaf growled a light blush sweeping across her features.

"It is hardly about _romance_! Now give it back!" Her gaze was almost enough to break him. Almost.

"Hmm, I dork think so. In fact, you are spending way too much time with your head in this thing. We are all supposed to be _bonding, _remember?"

"Don't, start with me." She tried once again to make a grab for the book, but Gary held it out the window.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, in fact one little bump and this thing goes over the edge." May gasped, as if throwing the piece of literature out a window was the equivalent of _murder. _Leaf seemed to think the same thing, and backed off of him.

"Fine," she snapped, "but if you do anything to that book, you will be paying in blood." He seemed more or less satisfied with that answer, and placed the book beside him.

May saw Drew look at her from the corner of her eye. She turned to meet his gaze.

"Well, this will be a long car ride. Want to drown out their fighting with some music?" A smile broke across her features.

"You read my mind."

* * *

><p>Paul wasn't exactly thrilled to be stuck in a car with them. In fact, he had already been <em>dreading<em> this day. The thing is though, Paul could have skipped. He had much better things to be doing anyways. But, Paul did respect his schoolwork, and if this is what it took to pass, he would do it. However, he didn't think he would ever have to be in a confined space with an annoying blabber mouth who kept on poking him.

"Will you knock it off!?" He growled at her, shoving her finger away from his upper arm. The bluenette pouted at him.

"I was _trying _to get your attention! Is not my fault you wouldn't answer." She replied back instantly, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked almost like a little kid compared to him. Paul was big, and bulky, and strong, while she was petite, and skinny, and almost fragile looking. However, she wasn't a little kid, Paul could clearly see that. Her face was regal, and beautiful looking, her clothes certainly gave her that mature style. To be honest, she looked like a model. She was the kind of girl who would walk down the street, and guys would stare at her. Some part of Paul, almost became nervous around her. A smarter part of him, shrugged it off.

"What do you possibly want?" His voice was angry, but her cobalt eyes sparkled. _Great, _he thought, _not only is her personality blinding, her fucking eyes are too. _She seemed unfazed by his harsh comment, and quickly fired into a question.

"Why are you so quiet?" She tilted her head to the side, the soft looking strands of hair falling in waves across her shoulders. She said this with utmost curiosity. Paul slumped lower in his seat, the scowl becoming deeper.

"I don't feel like talking, that's why. Why do you always insist on being so damn obnoxious?"

"It was just a question! No need to be so rude." She fixed her eyes forward, away from his own. In front of them, Ash and Misty were arguing about directions.

"Damn it Ash! Just drive! I know where I'm freaking going okay!?" She screamed at him. A giant unfolded map was spread out against her lap.

"Are you sure? The last time we tried going on a road trip, you held the map upside down!" Ash fired back at her, trying his best to keep his eyes in the road and yell at her at the same time. Misty's ears turned pink.

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"WILL YOU TWO PLEASE SHUT UP ALL READY!" Paul roared, already fed up with the constant bickering. He could already feel an upcoming migraine. Dawn cringed.

"I think we all need to calm down," she said slowly, her voice resonating throughout the truck, "Ash have a little faith in Misty, Paul quit being such a downer, and Misty please don't murder Ash." Paul scowled some more.

"I'm not being a downer, I just don't understand why you all are so damn loud!" Paul challenged.

"Like your screaming wasn't loud enough?" Misty said under her breath, going back to analyzing the map. Paul decided to let that one go.

"Paul," Dawn turned to him, her eyes electrifying, "you need to learn to live a little."

"I live just fine thank you very much."

"No you don't. You shut everybody out! Can't you learn to be, I don't know, out there?" Can't you just, embrace the craziness? I know that it's your life and all, but you should learn to get out of your bubble. Or think about it this way, if you don't lower your walls, I'm going to come break them down for you. You can't count on that. So live a little!" Paul scoffed.

"How do you suggest I do that then? Tell me more about your so called philosophy, I'm dying to know." Dawn either ignored his sarcasm, or it went right over her head because she was quick to reply.

"Life is all about doing the things that not many people want to do. It's about doing the things that you find crazy, and stupid, and maybe even annoying because to be honest, we can't help but embrace them. Life is about listening to the radio, and when that annoying pop song comes on, you don't turn it off. Even if you _know_ it's bad, you can't help but sing along." To prove her point she leaned across to the front and turned on the stereo. The music blared throughout the car. Dawn rolled down the windows to let the sounds travel outwards, as if she were sharing it with the other cars. She then proceeded to throw up her hands and sing along with the shitty song.

Ash smiled real goofily. "Whoo hoo!" he cheered. Of course Ash began to sing as well.

"Come on Misty, I know you know the lyrics." Misty laughed.

"Why the fuck not," she agreed. Paul watched in astonishment as they all sang along to the radio. Misty was belting out, moving her arms over to Ash. Ash laughed at her, and poked her in the side playfully. One thing was for certain, they all were really bad singers. Paul couldn't help but smile. He glanced over at the dark haired girl beside him, as she closed her eyes in ecstasy. Paul didn't know much about girls. But he knew what made them attractive. In that moment, Dawn looked beautiful.

Paul would be damned if he was going to start singing along with them, but he wasn't beyond humming along to the fucking thing.

* * *

><p>They had been driving for roughly an hour and a half, marking the 11:30 interval. If they played their cards right, they would make it there at 1:00. That was Misty's plan anyways. However, their group was in no way perfect. Knowing them, they'd be lucky or they even made it before the festival ended. At least, that was Drew's take on things.<p>

"Um, Drew?" May asked him tentatively, looking up at him with big eyes. Drew was trying his best to avoid those eyes, as if he might get lost in them. Ever since the art show, Drew couldn't get her out of his head. When he had saw her, it had certainly been a surprise. The way she was dressed...it was enough to make him blush. She had looked breathtaking. Her black dress hugged her body, showing more skin than he had ever seen May in. Her features were highlighted with makeup, making her eyes even more striking. He had barely even recognized her. It was so very different from what she looked like now.

Her hair, which had been done up in some style was now hanging loose at her shoulders, a bandana added on top of it. The clothes she wore were simple, a pair of jean shorts and a dark yellow T-shirt. Her face had little signs of make up on as well. She was drastically different. Not that Drew was complaining. She still managed to look pretty either way. His hands got clammy at the thought of their dance.

"Um Drew?" She waved a hand in his face to get his attention again.

"What? Oh, sorry Maple, I was just, uh thinking. What's up?" He tried his best to sound calm. _I have got to stop thinking about her, _he thought to himself.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Drew face palmed.

"Really? Why didn't you just go to the school!? We've barely even been on the road!"

"I didn't have to go then! Besides, I really have to go now!"

"Can't you just...hold it?" Her face scrunched up. He sighed. "Fine, better call the other car. Gary!"

"What?" Gary said distractedly, focused more on combing his hair in the small compact mirror he stole from Leaf. When Leaf saw what he was doing she snatched the compact out of his hand.

"Hey! That's mine!" She yelled, her hands forming into fists. "Did you go through my bag!?"

"Hang on Leaf, you can scold him later. But right how he needs to call Dawn and tell them we need to pull over. May needs to go to the bathroom." Drew stated.

"Ugh why me?" Gary groaned, but still began to dial the number. He was greeted with a loud 'HI' that almost broke his ear drums. Making a show of holding the phone away from the proximity of his ear, he was able to talk. "Dawn we need to pull over to the next gas station. May over here needs to pee. "

"Sorry guys," May said awkwardly.

"Okay, they got it. Pull over Drew." Drew turned on his turn signal, and turned off at the nearest exit. A few minutes later they were at a gas station. Once the car was parked, May rushed out the door in a mad dash. Drew looked over to where the others were parked and made his way over there. Dawn was stretching her legs out, Ash had bounded off after May to get to the bathroom, Misty was busy looking at the map still, and Paul was just leaning against the car.

"How has your ride been so far?" He asked them, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"Not that bad, how about yours?" Dawn replied cheerfully. Drew shrugged his shoulders.

"Not bad."

Leaf and Gary went to stand by them as well. Suddenly, May and Ash walked out of the gas station together, talking and laughing. Ash ran up ahead of her to get to the rest of the group.

"Guys guess what!?" He asked excitedly. However, as May was about to come up to them as well, someone pushed passed her and knocked her to the ground.

"Hey!" Drew belted out at him. The guy turned and glared at Drew. The dude must have been around their age, maybe a little older. He was big, his arms the size of cannons, which were emphasized by the plaid shirt he wore, which had the sleeves cut off. He had stubble along the length of his chin, his brown hair greasy. He smelled like booze.

"The fuck do you want!?" He yelled back, his eyes challenging them. The whole group glared at him right back, but none of them looked as dangerous as Drew did.

"Apologize to her! You don't just knock someone over and keep walking jerk!" Dawn scolded him, her hands on her hips. The guy looked at her and laughed. May got up from off the ground, looking embarrassed.

"Yeah, and who's gonna make me? _You_?" His eyes looked all over Dawn, looking her up and down shamelessly. Then to piss them off more, he pushed May again.

"Hey!" She protested. In a flash, Drew had strode up to him, and got right up in his face. Drew grabbed the guy by his shirt, holding his fist up.

"Apologize. Now!" He warned. The guy looked at Drew like he was a piece of gum on his shoe. It was pretty ridiculous. Drew was like half his size. But the dude was outnumbered, Ash, Gary, Paul, and even Misty were getting ready to show this guy a lesson.

"You don't want to do that." The guy growled, pushing Drew off of him. Before both of them could even touch each other, May had stepped up. She landed a punch on the guy with a defiant crack.


	11. Chapter 11

May didn't knock the guy out. In fact, she was far from it. The guy did, however, stumble back a few inches, clearly surprised. His hand carressed the length of his chin, assessing the damage. It was going to leave a bruise, that was for sure. May stood her ground.

"Don't you ever, threaten my friends again or you'll regret it. Oh, and if you lay one more finger on me, there will be problems." Her voice was steely, challenging him to defy her orders, as if she was ready for some more action. The others stared at her in shock.

"Why you little bitch!" The guy roared, getting ready to attack her. Suddenly a heavy hand fell upon his shoulder, he looked up, irritated, before seeing who it was. He blanched. Standing over the guy was a huge, stocky man, as steady as a wall and as intimidating as a garadose. His dark skin glinted In the sunlight, like a hero sent from above. Not that they needed saving of course, May could have defended the group on her own.

"Is there a problem here?" his deep voice rumbled, pinning the jerk in place. If his appearance wasn't enough to scare him, his commanding voice was.

"N-n-no sir, no problem. In fact I was just leaving." He stuttered, no doubt fearing for his life.

"Good. I suggest you do so." He pushed the jerk away, making sure that he was far away from the group as possible. Everyone looked at their savior in awe, mouths agape.

"Uh," Ash says from the sidelines, staring with wide eyes, "thanks." The burly man gives them a bright smile.

"Not a problem, I saw the thing unfolding and thought I had better step in. Not for your sake, of course, for his." He said gesturing in the direction where the guy took off. His vision moved to May, looking impressed. "That was a mighty fine punch you threw by the way." May's face flushed.

"Oh that?" she laughed nervously, "That was nothing."

"Nothing!? Did you see the size if the bruise you left him with!?" Ash protested.

"Yeah May," Misty encouraged, "you looked so badass! I was sure he was goings to piss himself. I'm so proud of you!" May became increasingly redder under everyone's gaze, clearly not accustomed to the attention. Dawn decided to save her the embarrassment, and change the subject.

"Excuse me sir, what's your name? I think we owe you a proper thank you," she smiled warmly at him, the rest of the group following suit.

"The name's Ty. And trust me, you don't owe me a thing. I'm just glad to see no one got hurt." He told them amiably.

"So what brings you on the road?" Leaf asked him, making conversation.

"See that rig over there?" He pointed to a large bus. The side of it was painted with an eye catching logo, spray painted black against a red background, the contents forming the head of a raticate. In abstract lettering were the words: The Irraticates. "That's my baby. I'm driving a local band to their next gig. They're new but they're good."

"Wait, you wouldn't know someone by the name of Dash, would you?" Ash asked, his eyes going wide with curiosity.

"Um, yeah actually. He's the lead singer."

"How did you know that Ash?" Misty said to him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. Ash smiled at her, and then at the rest of the group.

"Yeah," May agreed, "I thought Dash was a solo guy." Ash shook his head, the smile growing wider.

"I saw Dash in the bathrooms before I came out. I mean, it was awkward since we were both taking a leak and all, and because he didn't know me, but we struck up conversation. He told me he was here with a band. I was going to tell you before that dude came over and started shit." Ash said excitedly, his over activeness taking over.

"Wait a second. You saw Dash in the bathroom, and decided that the best way to strike up a conversation with the guy was by urinating together?" Gary raised an eyebrow at Ash worrying for that boy's state of mind.

"Well, when you say it like that..."

"Wait, you wouldn't be driving to the beach festival would you?" Misty asked Ty, connecting the pieces.

"Yep, that's where they're playing. You guys heading there?" The group exchanged looks.

"Yeah, we are. But, you see..." Misty trailed off, her smile turning sour.

"What?"

"I'm...we're...a bit lost." Ash grinned triumphantly at her.

"I knew you didn't know how to read the map!" he exclaimed, pointing in her face, "the great Misty Waterflower, navigator extraordinaire, a fraud!" She sent him an icy glare, cutting off any more remarks. He quickly hid behind May.

"Wait, you were lost this whole time and didn't tell us!?" Drew exclaimed for the first time since the fight broke out. He was still a little mad that he couldn't be the hero of the day. May just had to come and defend herself. Didn't she know he was sort of trying to impress her?

"I...uh..." Misty trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, I'm sure I can help you out there! In fact, why don't you come with us?" Ty offered, gesturing to his 'baby'. "You can be groupies." A murmur of excitement fell across the group.

"Groupies? Awesome!" Dawn cheered, jumping up and down. "Doesn't that sound like fun, Paul?" She asked him gleefully, offering him a wide smile. He shrugged, his face still stony.

"I guess it wouldn't be too bad," he said. Dawns smile brightened.

"What about your guys' cars?" Leaf asked Drew. As fun as it sounded, they all had to think wisely. They couldn't just leave their cars unattended.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to leave them here," Gary said as he scanned the rest area's perimeter, "I mean, no one is going to steal Ash's dump."

"Hey," Ash protested, "I resent that!"

"But they _would_ steal mine," Drew pointed out gesturing to his ride.

"Yeah, maybe we should just follow you instead," Leaf told Ty, "I mean, it would be easier. Plus, Drew wouldn't have to worry about his car being destroyed." Ash glared at the floor. "Oh, and Ash's too." She amended.

"Cool. That's fine with me. Don't worry, you guys can still be our honorary groupies. As long as you help the band out with unloading the equipment, that is." Ty affirmed, staring at the group with a bemused expression. "Okay?"

"Deal!" They all agreed.

* * *

><p>Dash looked the same as he did the first time they had seen him perform. His longish hair was still shielding his eyes from their view, leaving his lopsided grin out for the world to see. He was built like a rock star too, lanky and skinny, with his jeans hanging loose on his body. Okay, so he wasn't all skin and bones. His arms had a fair amount of muscle on them, his black tee very fitting. Adorned on his feet were a pair of black converse, covered in holes, as if a rattata had been chewing on them. He flipped his hair ever so slightly to reveal a pair of mischievous hazel eyes.<p>

"Wait, so how do you guys know me again? I mean, I know you," he said pointing to Ash, "but that's only because you stalked me in the bathroom." Ash laughed nervously, the back of his hand flying up to his head. The group was standing outside of the bus, gathered around in a circle to converse with Dash. Ty had brought him out and explained what happened.

"Well, we saw you at Garchomp's last week. You were singing and playing the guitar. By the way you were _really _good." Dawn answered, showing off a bright smile. He returned the favor.

"Really? You think so?" The group all nodded.

"Yeah, did you write the song yourself?" Leaf asked, playing the role of the investigative journalist. Old habits die hard, she guessed.

"Well, yeah I did. The lyrics anyways. My brother came up with the chords. I sometimes go over there to practice my stuff. I'm new to the band, and they needed a singer. They actually found me over there and asked if I wanted to join." He told them, leaning against the bus with one foot planted on the ground and the other behind him.

"Oh wow, does your brother play too?"

"He used to, but then he decided he'd rather go on his journey than pursue a musical career. I'm actually the opposite."

"Oh," Ash said, "so you don't have any pokemon?" Dash gave him a small chuckle.

"I never said that. I have a chatot. She's sleeping in the bus right now, that lazy bird. You know just because I didn't go on a journey doesn't mean I don't like pokemon. Chatot is precious to me. You know, what I'd really like do is travel the world on tour, if we ever get scouted that is. Think about it, the people, the places, the experience. It would be amazing." Dash's voice was strong and passionate, clearly excited about his dream. He looked like he could go on for hours.

"That sounds amazing," Misty agreed, sighing and looking off into the distance, as if imagining what it could be like.

"Yeah, girls love rockers too," Gary offered. Dash gave a short bark of a laugh.

"One of the many perks of being a musician, yes," he confirmed.

"So where's the rest of your band?" Dawn asked, glancing around.

"Here, I'll get them. They're probably sleeping too. All of them are terrible, I swear! Hang on." Dash clambered in the bus to retrieve them. When he returned, five minutes later, they were right behind him. They shielded their faces from the sun as they climbed out.

"Oi, who turned on the sun?" One of them, a tall curly headed twenty year old, asked as he came out of the bus. His eyes were squinted, as he gave a long exaggerated yawn.

"This here," Dash said pointing to him, "is Chase. He's on drums." Chase waved at them. The next to appear was a girl, her long black hair was straight, her bangs covering her left eye. In it were streaks of blue and hot pink. She was wearing a black tank top, a pair of green combat pants, and boots to match.

"This here is Sadie, and boy can she shred. Give her any kind of guitar, electric, acoustic, anything, she can play." She nodded to them, a smile forming on her features. The last to appear was a short guy, with dirty blonde hair cut short, and big green eyes. He must have been the same age as the rest of them, but you wouldn't be able to tell by his looks.

"And I'm Luke. Base." He told them.

"And of course, you've already met Ty and I. Guess that's all. Dudes, these are our new groupies. Um...I don't really know your guys' names," Dash gave an apologetic half smile. Gary stepped up.

"Well let me introduce us then. This here is Leaf, she's pretty much the brains of the group, but she could learn to get her head out of the books more. Next we have May, have you seen her right hook? Right here is Dawn, not just some pretty face, I swear. Red over here is Misty, um...don't get on her bad side. Next is Ash, who will eat anything if you pay him a dollar. Right here is Drew, known him since elementary. You might not have noticed but Paul's been here the whole time, he's the silent type. And finally, yours truly, Gary Oak. But you can call me, anytime." He winked at Sadie, that famous Gary smirk forming on his face. Leaf visibly rolled her eyes.

"Okay, anytime," Sadie said unaffected, "so what brings you here?" She smiled at the rest of the group, ignoring Gary. He pouted.

"Well, we were going to the beach festival, but we're a bit lost you see," Misty said.

"Yeah," Ash piped in, "Ty offered to show us where to go. We were just going to follow you guys there. Don't worry though, the deal was to help you guys out with your equipment. We can even bring you water in between your sets!"

"Why not, it's fine with me," Sadie said. The others nodded too.

"That's great. Group of friends hanging out, going to a concert. Like a dream," Chase added. Suddenly Ty appeared from the bus door.

"You guys ready to head out? Can't be behind schedule," he yelled.

"Well, I wouldn't say were really friends," Misty mumbled under her breath.

"What do you mean? You guys were all together at the pizza place," Dash reminded them.

"Yeah," Ty agreed, "plus, if memory serves me right, you said, 'Don't you ever, threaten my friends again or you'll regret it.'" He pointed to May. She rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"Yeah but..." May trailed off, uncertain.

"Whatever, friends or not you guys came here to have a killer time. So let's move. Catch ya guys there." Luke said, wrapping up the conversation, like he was itching to get moving. Everyone nodded. Beach festival here they come.

* * *

><p>Ash heaved a heavy speaker across the stage, placing it where Ty had instructed. They had made it to the beach, not quite in the time that Misty had thought, but still okay. When they got there, it was 1:45, almost an hour behind schedule, (traffic was horrible). It looked like everyone was coming to the festival. Ash fumbled with the wires. <em>Did Ty say to plug in the green or the orange? <em>He wondered.

The stage stood in between the sand and the wooden planks of sidewalk that marked the beginning of the beach. In the distance, soft waves crashed along the seashore, children screaming with laughter as they played in the foam. Winguls flew overhead, swooping down to snag fries from people's outstretched hands when they weren't looking. The smells of funnel cake, and hotdogs wafted through the air. Ash's stomach growled. _Man I'm hungry, _he thought, staring longingly at the food stands that were scattered along the wooden planks. Maybe if he snuck away just for a second...

Before Ash could follow through with his plan Misty appeared, breaking him out of his reverie. She placed a microphone at center stage, adjusting it's height. When she was finished, she turned to meet his gaze. She offered him a half smile.

"Aren't the waves beautiful?" she asked him, looking out to the endless sea. She breathed in the salty ocean air, letting the breeze flow through her orange locks.

"Sure, but have you smelled those hamburgers?" he asked back, causing the redhead to roll her eyes.

"Honestly you have no appreciation for the finer things in life."

"I do too!" He insisted, crossing his arms stubbornly. Misty was back to staring at the waves. She was quiet for a moment, letting the argument float away with the wind.

"You know, I'm going to do it," she began, pausing to collect her thoughts, "When I finally escape from this hell hole of a school, I'm going to leave. Forget my sisters and their stupid gym, I need to _live_. They can try to pull me in all they want, but I'm not going to listen. I need to find my own path." Her gaze was sharp, her words shrewd. She brushed the grains of stand that were scattered randomly over the stage with her foot. "Aren't you _tired_ of everyone telling you how to live your life?" Her eyes met his, and he became distinctively aware of the way they matched the water's sea green color. The sunlight made them glisten just like they did the crashing waves.

"Where would you go?" he asked her.

"_Anywhere. _Just so long as it's out of this town. I'll ride the ocean's waves, catch as many water pokemon as I dare. I'll be unstoppable!"

"Wait about me?"

"What _about_ you?"

"You just going to leave me here? Going to forget about your best friend?" She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. She took a step closer to the edge of the stage.

"We'll go together!" she whipped around, catching his eyes, "we'll become pirates and travel the ocean, or, or, carve our home into a mountain side. And the only reason we would have to move would be to catch new pokemon. And, and, we can bring May too, and all three of us can travel together. We can all be free!" Ash's grin grew wider.

"And we can all train together too, May can become a Top Coordinator, and I can become a Pokemon Master, and you a member of the Elite Four! We'll travel to the ends of the earth catching as many pokemon as we can. And we'll take down anyone who tries to stop us!" Her heart buzzed.

"And we won't have to listen to anyone who says we can't! Because once we're out of this cage, we'll be adults, Ash. Fully pledged adults. The world will be ours to conquer!" She declared this with confidence, her hand reaching up to the cloudy sky.

"We don't have to be adults Misty, we can be kids. Adults are boring, and they take away everything we ever wanted, they're cruel and sharp and think that we will never amount to anything. Let's be ten, forever ten. That way, we'll never have to grow up. Let's start are journeys like they did back then."

"And we'll never let anything bad happen to each other. We won't need to worry about broken hearts, or, or, dead end relationships, or anything like that. Ash, lets live the life we could have had." He strode over to her with an outstretched hand.

"Promise?" he asked her seriously, his face determined. She looked at him for a moment, letting the words hang in the air.

"Promise," she affirmed, staring into his auburn eyes. They both gave a firm shake, setting their new pack in stone. Then, she pulled him off the stage and into the sand.

* * *

><p>"How is everyone doing out there!?" Dash yelled into the mic, erupting a burst of applause and cheers from the crowd. And boy was it huge. Half of the beach was covered with screaming fans. Luckily the group managed to get pretty good spots. The perks of being groupies. Dash gave a devious smirk, before grabbing the mic.<p>

It was odd because no one really knew who they were. Their band was new anyway, but apparently the crowd didn't mind. Their screaming was proof enough. "We're the Irraticates, and we're gonna be playing some songs for you today!" The crowd exploded with more cheers. "Before we begin though, we'd like to give a couple thanks to some people. First off, we want to thank our driver Ty for being a killer sport and tolerating us in his bus, dudes amazing. But also, we want to thank our groupies. Ash, Misty, Gary, Leaf, May, Drew, Dawn, and Paul, this one goes out to you guys." With that they began to play.

_When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions  
>Free of the coliseums<br>In poison places, we are anti-venom  
>We're the beginning of the end<em>

_Tonight the foxes hunt the hounds  
>It's all over now before it has begun<br>We've already won _

_We are wild, we are like young volcanoes  
>We are wild, Americana, exotica<br>Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby?  
>Yeah! <em>

The crows was really into it, waving their arms up in the air and shouting. Some people even brought out their lighters, others opted for their phone lights. The group cheered loudly for Dash and the others. "Can you believe it?" Dawn yelled to them over the crowd's strident screams, "Dash actually dedicated this song to us. Isn't that, inspiring?"

"Yeah, it's amazing!" Misty agreed dancing in place as the band played on.

"This is the start of something great. I can feel it," said May, one of the biggest smiles adorned on her face.

_Come on make it easy, say I never mattered  
>Run it up the flagpole<br>We will teach you how to make boys next door  
>Out of assholes<em>.

Dash laughed a little, smiling at the band members. They followed suit, enjoying the energy of the stage. The crowd began to clap in unison.

_Tonight the foxes hunt the hounds  
>It's all over now before it has begun<br>We've already won_

We are wild, we are like young volcanoes  
>We are wild, Americana, exotica<br>Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby?  
>Yeah!<p>

We are wild, we are like young volcanoes  
>We are wild, Americana, exotica<br>Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby?  
>Yeah!<p>

The final chord was struck, and the song had ended. Dash looked over to the crowd letting out a deep, well needed, breath. "Thank you," he said, smiling out to the people on their feet who were already cheering like mad. Their group applauded and whistled for him, making sure he knew just how much they appreciated it, just how much they had loved it. Dash took a sip of a water bottle before getting ready for the next song. Once the screaming toned down, the band was ready. They had only just begun.

"Okay, here we go," he screamed.

_Don't tell me that this is your last chance to change, 'cause if you do you would be..._

_SELLING A LIE! BUT..._

* * *

><p>The group sat in a circle on the cushioned sand, passing a bottle of coke to each other every so often. They would probably end up getting sand everywhere, in places that sand was definitely not needed, but it was the beach and the soft crash of the waves in the distance reminded them that it was okay. In the background, another band was playing.<p>

The Irraticates has already finished their sets, and had to pack up their gear. After helping them load up, Dash had asked if their group wanted to hang out more, but they had declined. Their band had already gone out of their way for them so much, they deserved a break from them. Plus the group needed to focus on each other. This was a group project, after all.

It was around 5:00, and the sky was already dimming. Soon, she stars would be out, something that was rare to see since they were really close to the city. In the middle of them was a crackling fire, keeping their bodies safe from the cold. It was still fall after all, close to winter. Unfortunately for Gary there was no girls in bikinis.

"What are all of you going to do when you graduate?" Dawn asked, gingerly taking a sip of the coke bottle before passing it to Paul. Luckily, she had been smart enough to change out of the skirt she was wearing and into a pair of pants. The cold air blew against her arms, causing goose bumps to appear. She scooted closer to the fire.

"Getting the hell out of here," Paul said scowling, passing the bottle of coke to Gary.

"I'm with ya," Misty nodded, blowing her bangs out of her face. Ash and her exchanged smiles

"I'm going to be a top coordinator," Dawn said thoughtfully. May and Drew perked up when she said this.

"Really? Me too!" May said exuberantly, leaning in closer towards Dawn. Drew nodded beside her.

"I had wanted to as well, but my dad, let's just say he has other plans," Drew said, looking down at the sand to avoid the other's eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? My dad is an ass, that's what I mean. I don't mean to preach to you guys about my problems, but still, I can't help it! You know what he told me? He said that coordinating was a waste of time, that it's a path that leads nowhere. That I'd never make it...that I'll never amount to anything." Drew's face was contorted into a deep scowl. He took a long drink of the coke, as drowning his sorrows in soda would help him forget about it.

"At least your dad isn't always working," Gary said bitterly, "It's not like I ever get to see him. I'm stuck with gramps all the time. It's like he thinks he doesn't have a son, or something. He visits Daisy all the time. Never me." Ash spoke up next.

"Yeah, well you guys don't have to worry about your mom's boyfriend becoming your stepfather. It's disgusting. And...He could never replace my real dad." Ash looked down at the sand to avoid everyone's eyes.

"At _least_ you have a dad," Leaf said with malice. "You guys sound so selfish. It's just my mom and I at my household. Your dad didn't _die _before you even knew him. I was barely even two..." she trailed off, tears prickling her eyes. A silence fell across the group then, the only sound heard being the crackling of the fire.

"You think you're the only one with family issues?" Paul asked Leaf, and then to the rest of the group, "please. My dad left my brother and I to fend for ourselves. My mother had left before that. Not everyone has a perfectly stable family. Stop pitying yourselves."

"My mom and dad are divorced," said Dawn quietly. "But it's not so bad, we're happy."

"Yeah," Misty agreed, "I mean, I'm like you Paul. It's just my sisters and I. Even though they're a big pain in the ass, I love them all the same." Everyone looked over at May, as of expecting her to talk. She shrank down further. She didn't have anything to say. Her family was intact. She had a mother and a father, who never fought, and a little brother too. She didn't have anything to complain about.

"Well," May said awkwardly, "I guess I can't really talk. I mean, my family is fine. But Drew, if your dad thinks that coordinating is a waste of time, prove to him that he's wrong. And...and, Gary, if your father doesn't take the time to actually go and see his own son, than he's not worth it. Why should you care about someone who doesn't even aknowledge your existence? Your grandfather seems like better family anyways. And Ash, have you ever thought of giving him more of a chance? I know how your dinner went, and from what I can tell, he seems like a nice guy. He makes Delia happy, that should make you happy too." By now her voice had grown more confident.

She looked at everyone with a steady gaze, making sure they heard her out.

"And Leaf, that must be terrible for you. But you have your mom, right? And...You've made it so long without him. You're a fighter, and you doing amazing. All of you are. And I know that I don't have a lot of room to speak but, your problems are what make you stronger. So put them aside, or do something about it. It's okay to feel bad about it, but after a while you need to shake it off, and keep going. Ya, know?" A hush had fallen over the group. May rubbed her arm nervously.

"May?" Misty asked her, smiling.

"Yeah?"

"The world could use more people like you."

* * *

><p><strong>I am so sorry for the wait you guys, seriously. I have just been swamped with school, and sports and have barely had time to sit down and really write this. Also, I was trying to get a oneshot out. Thank you all for being so patient with me. So for those of you who would like to know, the songs were Young Volcanoes by: Fall Out Boy, and the next song, before I cut the scene off was the beginning of Atrophy by: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Thank you all and enjoy! :)<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you everyone who has favored and followed my story! Also, I would like to thank the reviewers for giving me their input. ****Lisitair, LAravengood, TheeFirstEvil, QuartzClaw, MasteringAMuggleLife****, and guess who. Bit of a warning this chapter does contain a bit of harsh language, and some violence. Enjoy :) Oh, and happy holidays!**

* * *

><p>The group had been talking for a while, each of them sharing stories about themselves, and reminiscing about what life was like when they were younger. The bottle of coke had been drank long ago, and by now the stars in the sky were prominent, the twinkles of light dotting the sky from every inch. It was peaceful, and serene. Or it would have been, if Ash's stomach hadn't ruined the mood.<p>

"I'm hungry," he whined, clutching his belly as if it helped prevent the grumbling. Everyone gave an exasperated sigh.

"Really Ash? We just ate not too long ago." Misty chided, shaking her head.

"What can I say, I'm a growing boy!"

"Ugh fine. I'll go get some food with you. Anyone else coming?" Misty scanned the rest of the group, ignoring Ash's impatient tug on her arm.

"Nah, you two go ahead. I'm too lazy." Gary replied, flicking his wrist in a 'shooing' matter.

"Yeah go on ahead," May agreed, "just promise me you guys won't get too sidetracked." She winked at them, laughing as they tried to hide their blushing faces. Misty glowered.

"Shut up," she told her before stomping off in the direction of the food stands. Ash chased after.

"Wow," Leaf remarked, tilting her head towards May. "They must get real tired of getting teased all the time." May shrugged.

"Eh, they're used to it. It's been going on since middle school. Heck, even before that. I just don't understand why they don't tell each other all ready. I mean, it's so obvious they like each other. Well, obvious to everybody _but_ them," May said, filling them in.

"Well, I think it's sort of cute, how they're both shy," Dawn told them.

"Well we can't all be confident like you when it comes to relationships," Paul mumbled sarcastically under his breath, earning a glare from the bluenette.

"I'm not confident at all!"

"Really?" Paul looked at her skeptically.

"Yes really! Well at least, not with relationships. Why do you think that?" He snorted.

"_Please_, I see you all the time. Guys flock to you and those friends of yours like mareeps."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Those guys are there for my friends! They are the ones flirting, not me. I don't like any of them." She crossed her arms defensively over her chest. Paul gave a long sigh, like he couldn't believe he had even started this conversation. But there was something else under those cold grey eyes of his. Something close to mischief. In fact, you could almost see the faint outline of a smirk forming on his lips.

"So you're a tease then?"

"Oh snap!" Gary yelled from the sidelines, snapping his fingers from side to side. Drew shook his head next to him.

"A tease?" Dawn growled, her voice rising. She was glaring now, sending reams of hate his way. May and Leaf looked at each other, the same warning signs flashing through their minds. Paul didn't seem to notice, or care.

"Well what would you call it? I mean you lead those guys on," he stated as if it were obvious, as if he were reciting a fact. Paul didn't know why he was starting a fight, or why it was on something as stupid as that. He guessed he was just in a bad mood. Well, he was always in a bad mood, Reggie tells him it comes in the package of being a teenager. He had just wanted to get Dawn a little riled up, it was fun when she stood her ground. She looked strong when she did so. But now, he was feeling guilty.

"You know what Paul, you don't know me! Why don't I stereotype you! Oh wait, If I remember correctly, Gary already did at Garchomp's, and that blew up wonderfully didn't it? You think that I'm like those other girls? Why are you so against me? I've done nothing more than be nice to you! Enjoy your anger at the world, Paul, because you'll never know what you're missing. I don't know why I even try." With that, she stormed off, leaving Paul to glare at the sand.

"Wait to go genius!" Leaf scolded him. "Now look what you've done!"

"Wow man, even I wouldn't have gone that far," Gary remarked.

"Ugh, well now what the fuck am I supposed to do?" Paul yelled at them, throwing his hands up in defeat. May shook her head.

"I think you know." she told him, giving him 'the look'. He sighed, and pushed himself up.

"Fine."

* * *

><p>Paul groaned, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets angrily. Dawn just had to blow everything out of proportions. He didn't mean to be so rude, it just came out. This is the exact reason why he doesn't bother with girls. But Dawn was different. Even though she was girly, and annoying, and way too peppy for her own good there was something else about her that surpassed all of that. She cares for people, is friendly towards them, but at the same time doesn't let anyone walk over her. She's small, and certainly not intimidating, until she stares at you with those blue eyes of hers. Those hypnotizing pools of emotion that pin you in place, determined and unwavering. Only then does Paul get nervous.<p>

"Dawn," he called. "Ugh, you're so troublesome!" _Where the fuck is she? _He thought to himself. It wasn't even that big of an insult. Plus, it's not that it isn't true. He sees her all the time, twirling her hair and laughing at those guy's jokes. She's probably just being nice, but from where he stands it seems entirely different. But what does he know.

Finally, after searching the beach for what seemed like forever, he found her. She was standing in the water up to her ankles, her shoes in her hands. It was probably freezing cold, but she didn't seem to mind. "You shouldn't be in the water, you know. You might get sick." She didn't jump upon hearing his voice, like he was expecting her to.

"Why do you care?" she asked, clearly not pleased with his presence. He crossed his arms.

"Listen," he started, clearing his deep voice, "troublesome-err Dawn. What I said to you back there was uncalled for. And I'm sorry." He half mumbled the last part, not used to giving up so fast. But she deserves that much. "You're right, okay. I'm angry. My brother tells me a lot. I just, hate the way things work. This school, the people in it, the system, the league, _everything_, it's all wrong. I hate it. So I take it out on people. Okay? There I said it. I admit it. And I'm sorry." His voice was scratchy, and stubborn, and he knew it too. His scowl deepened. He never would have guessed in a million years that he would be apologizing to Dawn Berlitz.

And then, she laughed at him. It was like melodious chimes blowing in the wind, soft and clear. Now Paul wasn't the kind of guy to care for beautiful things, but even he had to admit, it sounded fucking beautiful. Instead of saying that, it came out more like "Why the fuck are you laughing?"

"Because," she told him, laughing more, "I think that's the longest I've ever heard you speak." Paul scowled even more. Dawn sighed. "Relax, okay. I forgive you, alright? I just hate it when people think I'm a push over, because I'm not." She looked at him expectedly, as if waiting for him to respond. He didn't, and he was back to being his quiet, stoic self. But he did take his shoes off and went to stand with her in the water. Dawn smiled at him, and just to get a reaction out of him, or at least some words to fall out of his mouth, she placed her hand in his.

He didn't seem to mind.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I have <em>got<em> to stretch my legs out. I'm going for a walk," May announced, getting up and brushing the sand off of her shorts.

"Well, you're not going alone," Drew told her, following suit by standing up with her.

"Um, okay." May suddenly felt shy. Her hand instinctively went to brush her hair behind her ears, which didn't work well with the bandana on her head. "You guys coming too?" Her vision turned towards Leaf and Gary.

"Like I said before," Gary began, peering at her with half closed eyes, "too lazy."

"I guess that means I should stay with this bozo," Leaf sighed. "See you guys later."

"Wow June, are you nervous about being alone with me or something?" Drew asked in a hushed voice so that only she heard. His warm breath tickled her hear, causing her to jump. He smirked at her.

"Ugh, no! Let's just go," she ordered. With that, she stormed off, making sure she was in front of Drew so he wouldn't see her blushing face. Leaf watched their retreating figures with a pensive look on her face.

"Do you think that there's something going on between the two of them?" Leaf asked Gary, more to herself than to him.

"Who? Drew and May? I don't know, I've never thought about it until now." he replied, opening his eyes to look at the brunette.

"Well aren't you two friends? Shouldn't you know these things?"

"Um, Leafy, I think you're forgetting something. We're both dudes, and dudes don't tend to talk about their feelings. Well except for Ashyboy, maybe. But, I guess if he was seeing her, he'd of told me by now." His shoulders shrugged.

"Do you think he would though?"

"I didn't know you were such a romantic." Gary teased, waggling his eyebrows at her. Leaf scoffed. _More like trying to get answers, _she thought bitterly.

"I'm not. Now tell me."

"Well, I don't really know. Drew isn't much of the dating type, like moi. You see, well, don't tell anyone this, but he had his heart broken by a girl once. Took him a while to recover. After that, he pretty much put off dating. May wouldn't really be my type, but I guess it's not much of a surprise that Drew might like her. If anyone, she would probably be the best girl for him." Leaf pondered this for a moment, before a thought entered her head.

"Gary, I'm going to, uh, use the bathroom. There's one up on the walk. I'll be right back." Gary groaned.

"You're just going to leave me here? Ugh, curse my laziness." He then flopped back into the sand.

* * *

><p>Leaf wandered into the direction that May and Drew went. She found two of them standing behind one of the giant wooden poles that held up the board walk. They seemed to be talking, but their voices were hard to hear over the crashing waves. She tried getting closer, making sure that she wouldn't be spotted. Her body crouched behind a rock, their conversation now easier to hear.<p>

"And then, the girl dumped her whole milkshake all over Gary's head! She was _pissed_." Drew told May, finishing up his story. Leaf resisted the urge to snort.

"Wait, you're serious? What flavor?" May asked, laughing.

"Really? I just tell you a story about Gary getting dumped by a girl, and you want to know what flavor the milkshake was?" May giggled.

"Well, yeah."

"It was strawberry. Gross, sticky strawberry. I had to drive him home, and my whole car stank of it for days! He dripped all over the seats. It was a nightmare." May was laughing again, her body slightly leaning into Drew's. He smiled down at her, his gaze boring into her own. She looked down, suddenly flustered. When she looked back up, however, his green eyes were still staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She mumbled, looking away again.

"Because," Drew told her tilting her head back to him, "you're beautiful." Her cheeks exploded with color.

"No I'm not." She shook her head.

"Yes you are!" He insisted, smiling warmly at her. May gave a frustrated sigh.

"You're just saying that. It's not like you really believe that." He scoffed.

"And why wouldn't I? If I told you, that I wanted you to be my girlfriend, that you were amazing and beautiful in every single way, why _wouldn't_ you believe me?"

"Because!" May said defensively. "You don't _really_ think that. You'll just go back to school, and, and be back with your group of friends. And, and, and they'll say something about me, and how I'm not like them. And, and you'll agree with them. Because you'll _have_ to! Because that's how things _are_. And I don't see how you could ever like me like that. Because I'm not like Ursula, or Brianna, or Melody, or, or, Dawn. Because it's so easy for people to see them, and think that they look beautiful. It's easy for them to think that themselves. But it's different for me." Her voice grew smaller. "It's just that, sometimes it takes more than one look in the mirror for me to feel beautiful, okay? Can't you just get that?"

May was flustered, and mortified that she told him all of this, and she cursed her blabber mouth for spewing everything she was feeling. Tears were prickling her eyes from frustration. Whenever she got worked up, emotions would spew out of her like a geyser. She hated it, but that was how she was. She attempted to look away.

"No." He tilted her head towards him again. "Because it only takes _one_ look for me, to see that you're beautiful. Because I love that you're different, I love that you aren't afraid to stand up for people. I love that, you paint the things that others don't notice, that others pass off as something un-extraordinary. I love that you see beauty in everything, and yet you can't see it in yourself. I love that you feel the need to ask so many questions. I love that you need to clarify the flavor of milkshakes. I love your eyes, I love your slightly crooked nose, I love the tiny freckles that splatter across your cheeks. I think you're beautiful. I think everything about you is beautiful." May's heart skipped a beat.

"Drew," she said, because at that moment it was all she could say. He cupped her cheek. She knew he was going to kiss her. Her toes curled under her sneakers. And he did. It was a soft, tender kiss, which took her breath away. The kind that made you forget everything about yourself and made you never want to remember. She closed her eyes.

From behind the rock, Leaf's eyes went wide. She bit her lip. _Oh god, what am I going to do? _She inwardly panicked. Reaching in her pocket she took out her phone. Hurriedly, she snapped a picture, thanking Arceus they hadn't seen her. Then, she ran off in the direction of the fire.

She had gotten her story.

* * *

><p>It was seven o'clock, and all was well. Everyone had met back at the fire, Ash and Misty with their food, Dawn and Paul with their shoes back on, Leaf and Gary who never really left (at least not Gary) and finally May and Drew who had come late, their faces clearly red. May couldn't stop the smile that exploded across her face.<p>

"You guys ready to leave?" Drew asked, trying his best not to keep glancing at May, which was hard to do because she looked really cute. Whenever their eyes found each other, that same mental thought ran through their heads.

"Yeah let's go. My sisters are going to interrogate me if I get home late," Misty said flatly, suppressing a yawn.

"Okay, why don't I go start my car? Ash, you coming?"

"Yeah, dude!" Ash yelled, still chewing. Misty have him a disgusted look. "What?" He wiped the crumbs off his face. She shook her head, rolling her eyes at his antics.

"Here's a thought. Speak, when there's no food left IN YOUR MOUTH!" Misty admonished. He blinked at her. "Did you hear me?" No answer. "ASH!"

"What!? You said don't speak until the food was gone. I was chewing." She looked ready to kill him. Drew stepped in, grabbing Ash by the shoulders and pushing him towards the direction of the cars. If he didn't take Ash now, they would all be attending his funeral next week.

"I guess that means we're on clean up duty," Leaf said, staring at the mess of food wrappers and coke bottles by their fire. They all groaned.

* * *

><p>Ash and Drew walked to the parking lot where their cars and the tour bus had been parked.<p>

"Man, I can never remember where my car is." Ash told him, scanning his eyes over the lot's length.

"Don't you mark it?" Drew asked, walking over to where his own car was.

"Uh, no. Well it doesn't matter anyways, I mean you know where yours is, right? I parked right by you. Uh, Drew? Drew? Hello? Why is your face all...oh." Ash stopped next to Drew. In front of them was Drew's car, or at least they thought it was. "Shit." The hood of the car had been smashed, the huge dent marring the front. The windows were cracked, and the glass was shattered along the ground by their feet. Black spray paint covered the length of the side doors.

Drew's car had been trashed.

"No no no no this can't be happening!" Drew cried as he fell to his feet in defeat. Everything had been going great. They had went to a concert, they got to be groupies, and he had gotten a kiss from May. Everything was perfect. Until now. This just had to happen, his night just had to get ruined. "My dad, is going to kill me."

"Who did this!?" Ash asked staring at it with wide eyes.

"Looking for me?" Another voice sounded from behind them. Drew's head whipped around lightning fast. Standing there with a wicked smile adorned on his face was the jerk from the gas station. His purple bruise shone bright in the light of the moon. He looked even worse than how they had found him.

"You!" Drew seethed, anger dripping from his very essence. Everything about him shook. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Drew's face was steaming.

"Oh your precious car? I trashed it! That'll teach you and that little bitch of yours not to mess with me! But I ain't done with you yet!" The guy strode over to Drew and swung his fist. His knuckles cracked against Drew's face. Drew reeled back, clutching the wound. His eye was beginning to swell, he could feel it. He clenched his teeth. Next to him, Ash charged.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Ash attempted to swing his fist, but the guy dodged and pushed Ash to the ground.

"Watch me runt!" His foot collided into Ash's stomach causing the raven haired teen to groan. The glass shards pricked his face. Drew was pissed before, but nothing could compare to the rage he felt in that moment. Drew ran at the guy, punching him straight into his gut. "Oomph!"

"Don't you dare touch him! Don't you dare touch anyone of us!" Drew yelled, giving the brute a swift upper cut. Drew punched him along his jaw where the sick purple bruise was. The guy gave a cry of frustration and picked up Drew, flipping him over his shoulder. Drew fell on his back, a cracking sound emitting from his rib cage.

"Fucking faggot!" He kicked Drew in the side hard. Drew wheezed. "Get up you coward! Fight me. Fucking shit, I said fight me!" His breath smelled like booze and cigarettes. Drew clutched his stomach, shakily standing. He spat up blood.

"You're the, cough, coward." Drew braced himself for another hit, but before it could come, Ash had appeared behind the guy.

"EAT THIS DIRT BAG!" Ash cried, whacking the guy over the head with a shovel. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Ash was towering over him, breathing heavily.

"Ash," Drew wheezed, "what the? Where did you get a shovel?"

"In my truck. Damn Drew, the guy really got you good. Let me help you." Ash slung an arm around Drew, supporting his weight. He opened his car door and set Drew down on the seat. Drew groaned at the pressure against his ribs. "Shit Drew! Your ribs are broken. We need to get you to a doctor." Drew shook his head vigorously, the situation finally dawning on him.

"My car!" Drew wailed. "My dad is going to murder me! I wasn't supposed to be driving it. He took it away from me!"

"Drew," Ash tried to console him, "hey man. It's alright, don't beat yourself up."

"You don't get it. Now he'll never let me coordinate. This isn't fair. Why, why me? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Ash frowned.

"Is everything all right over here?" A voice sounded catching Ash's attention. Luckily, it was a security guard.

"No, sir. My friend, Drew, is hurt. We just got jumped. That guy over there, he vandalized Drew's car and then started a fight. I think his ribs are broken. Maybe his knuckles too." Ash's own face was also battered up by the glass.

"Okay just hang in there. There's a medical tent near here, I'll come back with the medic. I'm going to call the police as well, and take care of the offender. Sit tight, okay?" The security guard told him, taking out his walkie talkie. Ash looked down at Drew who had his head buried in his hands. He reached in his own pocket to make a call himself.

"Hello? Misty, yeah, no, I need you to bring the others here, like, now."

* * *

><p>After what happened with Ash and Drew, the night was pretty much ruined. They had to take Drew to a hospital to get a few X-rays. His ribs were definitely broken. If that wasn't bad enough, his parents were called. They were not happy at all. Ash drove Misty, Dawn, and May home, while Paul, Gary, and Leaf were dropped off at the school by a police officer. The guy who had jumped Drew and Ash was being taken into the slammer, probably to be bailed out by his parents. Charges were being pressed. Not their best night.<p>

* * *

><p>Leaf sat on her computer attempting to type up the story for the paper. She was wide awake after the events that occurred. She bit her lip. <em>Okay Leaf, this is totally not cool to do, especially to your friends. Well, technically they aren't really your friends...but it's still wrong! But if you don't, Jessie will murder you, and give up your spot, you've worked too hard for this! I guess it's not so bad, I mean, it won't hurt them. They're dating now anyways. Plus it's not like they'll find out it was you, right? <em>Leaf inwardly debated her options. Posting this story was a total invasion of their privacy, but if she didn't do it then she would lose her job. Both options didn't seem too pleasing. She read over the paper once again.

It wasn't going to hurt either of them, she decided. Plus, everyone would find out soon enough. What's the worst that could happen? She sighed, sending the file to Jessie for editing. The picture of May and Drew were highlighted.

Sometimes, she really hated writing the gossip column.

* * *

><p>It was Sunday night, tomorrow they would be back in school. May sat on her bedspread, clutching her phone to her chest. Everything was eating her up inside. She was really really <em>really <em>itching to talk to Misty about that night. Keeping the kiss from her was really making her guilty. May hated keeping secrets, especially from her best friend. Every time she thought of it, her heartbeat quickened. She leaned against the backboard, a sigh if happiness exiting her lips. May resisted the urge to scream into her pillow. It was just so _perfect! _She couldn't believe it. Drew Hayden had kissed her! He had told her she was beautiful and _kissed_ her! May had never felt like this before. She felt infinite.

She just had to tell Misty about it. Her fingers danced across her phone contacts, but before she reached Misty's name, she found Drew's. Her mind thought back to that night and how he had gotten his ribs broken. It was because of her that it had happened. If she wasn't such a klutz then that guy would have never ran into her and the fight would have never started. Now he had a broken rib because of her.

Then, another thought ran through her head. She hadn't heard from him since that night. What if he didn't want to see her anymore? What if he hated her? What if it had been all one big joke, and he never actually liked her? She started to breath heavily.

"Maybe, I'll just call him," she said aloud trying to calm her senses. It was perfectly fine for a girlfriend to call her boyfriend whenever she felt like it. If she was even his girlfriend, that is. She frowned. Drew never said she was, she just figured it was a given. She decided she would call him, just to make sure. She dialed his number, and waited nervously. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"April?" Drew answered from the other line. For a moment, May almost forgot to speak.

"Drew! Wait a second, STOP CALLING ME THAT!" she yelled, her face blushing furiously. She heard him chuckle from the other end.

"Geez, calm down Maple I was only kidding." She shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

"Anyway, I was just, uh, calling to check that you're all right. I mean, are your ribs broken?" She heard him clear his throat.

"Yeah, two of them. I have this thing I have to wear around them, kind of like a cast. They're not really broken, just more cracked. Don't worry about me though, I'm fine. Takes a lot more than that to knock Drew Hayden down!" May let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm happy to hear that." She smiled, easing back. She had to tackle another problem. "Um, Drew? Are we still, I mean do you still, uh, what I'm trying to say is, you and I are still, you know..."

"Together?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"Well I figured after one day we would still be. May, honestly you don't have to worry so much. I meant what I said. Every word. But if you need clarification then here. May Maple, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" May felt her face warm. She thanked Arceus that Drew wasn't there to see.

"Yes! I mean, I would love to."

"Good." She giggled.

"Good."

"Well I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow I hope. Oh, and June?"

"Yeah grasshead?"

"You sound adorable when you're flustered." The blush was back. "Thanks for calling, May. Bye."

"Bye, Drew."


	13. Chapter 13

***Dodges flying objects being thrown at me* Hehe...well this update was a bit late...hehe...heh. Im super sorry guys! I was so busy the past few weeks you have no idea. I meant for this chapter to go a little differently but it will have to do. Sorry again and thanks all of you for your support. Please don't hate me! **

**Reply to guest reviewer: (Guess Who)**

**I think that your idea is great! That sounds awesome and maybe once this story is done I can try it out. :) Thanks for your idea! **

* * *

><p>Mondays suck.<p>

And it's pretty much a universal rule that they do, right? Because let's face it, teachers are extra crabby, sleep schedules are messed up, no one wants to do homework on the weekends so they end up bullshitting whatever they do manage to get done, and everyone comes to school with murder in their eyes looking ready to kill.

And they are.

But for May, Monday morning was beyond this. And it all started with that certain news article.

May walked along the school hallways trying to get to her locker on time to put her books away. The strident squeaking of her sneakers against the clean polished floors cut through the atmosphere, echoing across the length of the hallway. The rest of the school was silent. It was an eerie sort of silence too, the kind that made goose bumps appear on your skin, and the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It made May feel like someone was watching her. She slowed down her pace enough to take a glance at the students around her.

Everyone, was staring.

She felt her face instantly go red, the heat bursting to her cheeks. _Why is everybody looking at me? Is there something on my face? Did I spill juice on me this morning? _The thoughts frantically ran through her head. She looked around nervously, trying her best to keep walking without tripping. Whenever she got nervous, her body became super clumsy. She didn't need to attract any more attention to herself then she already was.

Around her, girls spoke with hushed voices, sending nasty glances her way. A few wolf whistles could be heard from beyond the corridors as well. She picked up her pace. _What in the name of Arceus is going on!?_ Her mind was practically screaming this, trying to make sense of the situation. May decided it was best to investigate further, so she ducked into the nearest bathroom to check her appearance. Trying her best to ignore the unflattering light, she did a quick run through.

Face: normal. Hair: a little tangled but nothing new. Clothes: juice stain free. Outfit: she didn't come to school in her underwear, so that was good. Nothing was out of the ordinary. So what was everybody looking at? Suddenly, she heard voices coming from outside the doorway. Panicking, she ran ino the closest stall and quickly closed it behind her. She narrowly escaped the two girls who entered the doorway, moving to stand in front of the mirror. May listened in on their conversation.

"I just can't believe that he would choose someone like _her_," one of the girls said, her voice filled with malice.

"Right?" the other agreed, "Like, who even is she?"

"A nobody, that's for sure."

May's heart skipped a beat. Were they talking about her? She leaned in forward trying to hear better.

"Well do you think it's true? I mean, the pictures could be fake," the second girl pointed out.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way they could be fake. Besides, everybody knows that the school paper has an honor policy. It has to be true."

"Ugh! I can't believe it. Drew Hayden finally has a girlfriend, and she turns out to be a nobody! I've been trying to get him to notice me for years. And now he's lip locking with that Maple girl. What a bit..." The voices dimmed out as the two of them walked off.

May's heart had stopped.

_Crap, _she thought, _crap crap crap crap! Who found out about us!? I mean, Drew didn't tell anyone, did he? I haven't even seen him at school yet so it couldn't have been him. Gossip doesn't travel that fast, does it? Oh no, Arceus no. Those girls are going to murder me! _Then another thought ran through her head far worse than anything else she could have imagined. She gasped. _I never told Misty and Ash! _Knowing them, they would kill her for not telling.

It was official. She was screwed.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to kill him."<p>

"You're not going to kill him."

"I swear I'm going to murder him!"

Misty sighed, staring up at the raven haired boy in front of her. He was furious. She made sure to make a show of rolling her eyes at him before speaking. "Quit overreacting Ashwipe! Geez, stop playing the overprotective brother card," she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest. Don't get her wrong, she was mad too. But her anger was towards something entirely different.

"Have you _seen_ this article Mist!? Seriously, just look at it!" Ash screamed, losing his cool. He pointed at the paper where in big letters were the words: FINALLY CLAIMED. Under the title was a picture of May and Drew, their faces clearly mashed together as if they were kissing (which they were).

The article went a little something like this:

_You can all stop your attempts at stealing his heart, for they will only be in vain. School heartthrob, Drew Hayden, has finally been _

_"Claimed!" _

_These two were spotted Saturday night at a local beach festival doing more than just "checking out the bands." They were checking out each other. Or rather, they're lips were. It looks like everyone else's chance at winning his heart have been thwarted. Sorry ladies! (And guys). However, let's not forget of the lovely lady who has made this possible: May Maple! Surprise, surprise! Looks like a double dose of news today! Stereotypes will clash! The popular has been met with the unpopular. Drew, the talk of the school, has chosen May, the unheard of. Bet you didn't see that coming. So it leaves us with one question. Who is she? And why did he pick her? Whatever the reason, know this. Love is in the air! _

_-anonymous _

Ash crumpled it up in rage. "If he breaks her heart," he stated, "I will kill him!" Misty put her hand on his shoulder causing him to bristle.

"Ash I'm going to tell you this once, okay? STOP FREAKING OUT! Besides, you should be happy for her! She finally has a boyfriend, and quite the looker too. Plus after what happened with her old one she deserves this! So give Drew a break okay? He's not a bad guy." She released his shoulder and took a step back. Ash glared, looking disdainfully at the ground.

"He isn't that good looking," he mumbled. She sighed in aggravation. Taking the respite as a chance to change topics she ventured into the subject bothering her. Her eyebrow twitched.

"Wait a second, how long has she kept this from us!? I mean we are her best friends. You think she would tell us, or at least me! So then why would she hide this from us!? SHE HAD BETTER HAVE A PRETTY GOOD EXCUSE!" Misty clenched her teeth in rage. A mocking smile fell across Ash's face. He placed his hand on her shoulder this time, the warmth of his palm spreading across her skin.

"Misty I'm only going to say this once." He leaned in towards her ear. "QUIT OVERREACTING!" His words bellowed through her eardrums, causing her hands to fly up in response. They hit him in the process.

"Argh! Ash what the fuck!? I think you blew my fricken eardrums out." Ash clutched his own head in agony.

"Well you almost just took my head off, so I think we're pretty even!" Both of them groaned in pain.

* * *

><p>Drew was having a horrible day. But then again, as we know, it was Monday. He exited Gary's car, hanging on to the side of it to keep his balance, and hoping he could keep his breakfast down at the same time.<p>

"Must you always," he seethed, looking over at Gary through a glare, "feel the need to drive so fast. Just once I wish you could do me a favor and go a normal speed. Just once! That's all I'm asking for." Gary rolled his eyes at his companion before turning towards the car window to check his appearance.

"Hey, you're the one who needed the ride. My car, my rules. Get over it," he sassed. Yes it was true. Gary Oak was born a diva.

"That's hardly my fault, now is it? MY CAR GOT JACKED UP!" Drew screamed. He stared dejectedly at the sidewalk, imagining his precious baby all battered up and destroyed. Not only this, his ribs hurt like hell. He clutched his stomach in pain.

"Hey man, are you sure you're up for school today? I mean, you have broken ribs. You actually have an excuse not to go to that hellhole, and you're passing it up?" Gary looked unimpressed at Drew's lack of rebellion.

"I would have stayed home if my jackass of a father wasn't there. And if you think for a second that I'm spending a whole day with him yelling at me then you're wrong." He has already been chewed out enough, he didn't need anymore.

Gary leaned against the car, a slow satisfied smirk growing across his features. He pushed his shades down onto his face.

"Well then why don't we just skip?" he suggested. Drew hesitated. It would be nice. Plus he _really_ didn't want to deal with a bunch of people asking what happened to him, or fighting off a bunch of crazed girls who wanted to touch them. He shook his head. There was just one little problem.

May Maple.

Truth be told, he really wanted to see her. He didn't want to miss a chance to see her face get all red and flustered. But another problem was on the horizon as well. It's not like they had talked about it anyway. Were they going to go public with their relationship? Gary didn't even know about it. What would the school think?

"Come on," Gary persuaded, his voice lilting, "I got a new game. Doesn't shooting zombies sound like more fun than physics class?"

It did.

"You know what? Let's do it."

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

Drew stood in his father's study, the room growing uncomfortably silent with all the tension hanging in the air. In front of him was his dad, disappointment etched deep into his features. There was a sharp intake of his breath, as if he had started to say something but then thought otherwise. Drew swallowed nervously.

"Did you really think," he attempted again, catching Drew's eyes, "that I wouldn't notice?" He continued before Drew could reply. "Did you think that I'm incompetent, that I lack the same intelligence that you have? Because I can assure you, Andrew, that I am far more scrupulous. There is not a single thing in this household that goes unnoticed. Now I'm going to ask you once. Why did you disobey me?" A bead of sweat rolled down Drew's neck.

"I," he started preparing his answer, "I just..." But then he trailed off knowing that his father would never accept his answer. "There's nothing I can say that won't sound like an excuse."

His father's hands clenched around his pen, knuckles turning white.

When Drew was little, his father and mother used to take him to the beach a lot. They would bring him into the ocean, and when a big wave would come, they would grab his hands, and lift him over the water. His father would always grab his right and his mother his left. He remembered the way his father's hand felt in his, they were always so much bigger, so much stronger. He used to look like a giant to him. But now, sitting on his desk with his back slightly crouched, and the rough knuckles clenched around the pen, his father looked old and tired. Drew wasn't as tall as him still, but he no longer looked like the ginormous giant who could lift him over waves with ease.

"I don't know what's going on with you anymore. Ever since you started obsessing over that trivial hobby of yours, you've been disobeying your mother and I excessively. I'm not happy with it at all. Understand, Andrew?"

Drew clenched his teeth. "Yes, sir."

"This isn't how I raised you. You know you could have gotten hurt far worse than what you did. And yes, I do blame you for what happened to your car. If you hadn't disobeyed me none of this would have happened!" His voice became more stentorian. "So what do you expect me to do!? Let you do whatever the hell you want while you and your friends run my bank account dry!? I won't stand for this, Andrew! And if you think for a second that I am going to buy you another car you are sadly mistaken. Find another ride. After you graduate you are going to continue your studies, you are not going on some inane journey to become a coordinator or whatever the hell you planned on doing. This is final."

(End of flashback).

* * *

><p>May ducked out of her third period class, the back of her neck burning with a bright blush. She had barely made it out of there alive, the whole class had been whispering and staring at her. She didn't know how much more of it she could take. And where the heck was Drew?<p>

She traversed along the hallways, holding her head down to let her light brown locks act as a shield. It was lunch time, and all she had to do was get to the cafeteria on time before anyone spotted her. She was a prime target, and anyone could try and cause trouble. Before she could get there, however, she felt the back of her collar be pulled, tugging her into the nearest janitors closet.

"Hey!" May protested.

"Can it Maple," said an assertive voice. The lights flicked on revealing a furious Misty.

May gulped. "H-hey, Misty. Long time no see." Another person appeared from behind the shadows. She smiled nervously. "And Ash, what a surprise."

"I think you already know why we're here," Misty said again, cutting to the point.

"R-right."

"Care to explain this!?" Ash demanded, pushing a piece of paper into her hands. She fumbled with it, almost dropping it in the process. It was a newspaper, the school's to be exact.

"What's this?" May's eyes scanned over the title. "Finally claimed? What does that mean?"

"Why don't you read the article and find out!" Misty yelled, her hands on her hips. Ash and Misty were both glaring daggers at her. It looks like they both found out. She scanned the article quickly, stopping at the picture of her and Drew. Her eyes grew wide.

"What's this!?"

"Oh don't act like you don't know."

"Of course I know! But who the heck took this picture!?" May started to hyperventalate. "The whole school has been staring at me the whole day, all of the girls want to kill me, and now I can't go five feet down the hall without someone catcalling me. Misty, Ash, who wrote this!?" Tears were welling up in her eyes. It was all too much to take in. It was not only an invasion of her privacy, but also an invasion of her life. Her breathing became harder. Misty and Ash exchanged glances, not expecting her to get so worked up.

"Gosh May," Ash began, rubbing his arm awkwardly, "I had no idea."

"Yeah," Misty agreed, "I didn't know everyone was being so abusive. Sorry I yelled at you, I just was mad you didn't tell me." Misty put her arms around May.

"We don't know who wrote the article, but we plan on getting to the bottom of it," Ash told her confidently.

May sniffled. "I just don't know why anyone would even post that. Who was even there at the festival to see us? Drew and I haven't even talked about telling anyone. He's not even here today. He has no idea."

"So you really are dating him?" Misty asked hopefully. May let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, we are."

"You have to tell me everything! When did this happen!? How did it happen!?"

"Wow," Ash remarked, "I knew you were a romantic Mist, but this is ridiculous." Misty glared at him, and socked him in the arm. "Ow! What the heck!?" May smiled at the two of them. She cleared her throat ready to share the story.

"Well, it happened at the festival that night. He told me..."

* * *

><p>Leaf walked slowly down the wooden steps that lead to the first floor of her house. She took deep breathes as she did so, attempting to calm her senses. She sighed heavily before knocking slowly on her mother's door.<p>

"Yes honey?" her mother answered. Leaf creaked the door open just enough that her head would stick through.

"Mom, can I talk to you?" she asked timidly.

"Of course you can, Leaf." Her mother patted the space beside her, offering Leaf a seat on the bed. Leaf gladly took it. When she sat down, however, she regarded her mother with a frown.

Her long brown hair was matted to her face with sweat, the color standing out against the whiteness of her face. Her brown eyes were tired and dim, but they crinkled ever so slightly at the corners when she smiled. The bones on her collar were sticking out, emphasizing how skinny she really was. She looked old and fragile. But then again, she was sick. Very very sick.

"Are you okay mom? Can I get you anything?"

"No dear, I'm fine. Just a little tired. Now what was it you wanted to ask me?" For a long time, Leaf avoided her mother's eyes, looking at the wooden ceiling above her as an excuse not to talk. She counted the number of spots that were randomly dotted about. But eventually, she ran out of the marks, and was forced to come back to reality. She cleared her throat, preparing to talk.

"What if...you did something really bad to one of your friends? Like, betrayed them bad. And...you didn't mean to hurt them, but you had to do it because you didn't have a choice. What are you supposed to do?" Leaf asked, the frown prominent on her features. Guilt was eating her up inside. She ditched school because of it. Her mother understood when she needed to skip school, and trusted her daughter to make up the work when she returned.

"Well," she began, taking her time to think about the question. A deep cough suddenly racked her body, erupting in a fit. Her face contorted, the wrinkles adorned on her features becoming more prominent. When she finally calmed down, the tranquil expression returned to her face. "Sorry dear. Where was I? Oh yes. Leaf, honey, you are a very intelligent girl. I'm sure you know what to do. You don't need me to tell you how to solve these kinds of problems. But you do need reassurance, don't you?" Leaf nodded. "Friendship is a fragile thing. Once one little crack appears, it's even easier to break. But, it is not impossible to fix. You see Leaf, you can destroy a friendship. You can cause hurt, and heartbreak, and betray every aspect of that person you swore you would protect. But you have to accept the consequences. You have to come clean, Leaf, and when you do it could mean you shatter the remnants of what the two of you had. And if you decide to try and fix it, you're going to get hurt, you're going to get cut. But in the end, only you can decide if it was worth it. Do you understand?"

"I...I think so."

"Leaf, there will be times in your life when you need to make tough decisions. There's no avoiding them. You just have to accept it. Now, why don't you make the two of us some tea and we can read together for a while. Will that take your mind off things?"

Life smiled shakily. "Yes, it will. And thank you."

* * *

><p>Dawn's eyes scanned over the school newspaper, he words screaming in her mind: FINALLY CLAIMED. So it was true. She was shocked to say the least. But another, stronger, part of her was pleased. Her lips curved into a small triumphant smile. <em>Well done May, <em>she thought to herself. Finally something was going the girl's way, May deserved that much.

Ursula and Melody were also pissed, but that was nothing compared to the burning hatred Brianna was feeling. Dawn almost chuckled when she told her. It's amazing how just a few weeks with a group of people can change you.

She adjusted her high ponytail, tightening the band that held it up, and went to walk to her next period class. Or she would have, if she hadn't spotted a flash of purple from the corner of her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks, the clicking of her heels no longer echoing throughout the halls. Slowly turning her head, she was able to meet his eyes. Their visions locked onto each other's, clicking into place, like a bullet into a gun. She offered a small smile.

"Hi Paul," she said shyly. He looked at her with that same bored neutral expression that he always wore.

"Troublesome," was his reply, short and curt. Dawn bristled slightly at the name, but hide to let it go. She cleared her throat, readying herself before she spoke. His gaze holding hers was making her nervous.

"I didn't know you're locker was here."

"It's not."

"Then why are you-?"

"I needed to ask you something," he interrupted quickly. She blinked her eyes. It was a bit out of character for Paul to be finding her just to ask a question. She shrugged it off, and shifted her weight to her other foot.

"Okay," she nodded, "what is it?"

"What are you doing after school?"

She raised her eyebrows. Now she was really starting to suspect something. "Um, nothing...going home. Why?"

"Hn, just meet outside the school after the bell."

"Wait a second, why are you...wait don't walk away from me! Paul! Hey, come back here! Ugh!" She threw up her hands in frustration as she watched his retreating back.

Why were boys so complicated?


End file.
